


Vixen's Mark

by VariableMammal



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/F, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-06 05:56:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 42,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8737426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VariableMammal/pseuds/VariableMammal
Summary: Judy Hopps wasn't the only Hopps doe that had her life changed by a fox. A story of hardship, grief, and the long road to recovery.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SophieRipley](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophieRipley/gifts).



> First of all, let me say thank you to SophieWitch for allowing me to use her character of Samantha Hopps to explore a full-length story. I will be consulting her on this story and making sure it doesn't stray too far from her vision of the character. 
> 
> Secondly, a content warning. This will quickly be delving into material some might find uncomfortable or triggering. I haven't quite decided where I will draw the lines as far as how descriptive the narrative will get, but I feel I'd be remiss if I didn't warn any readers who might find such content objectionable. 
> 
> Thirdly, a thank you to all of my regular readers. When I held an informal request for what kind of story you people wanted, this overwhelmingly seemed to be the desire. So, here I am, ever your "humble" writer. I hope you enjoy.

    It was a warm, quiet evening in Bunnyburrow. A bit humid perhaps, and the breeze wasn't quite there, but it was pleasant enough, especially for an early summer evening. Samantha Hopps gathered her things and walked out to the parking lot. She smiled faintly as she left the campus of the Peaceful Sprouts Elementary School. All of her meetings and planning were done with and now she too could enjoy the summer break along with the kits. She hummed a little laugh to herself; definitely one of the perquisites of being a teacher.     
  
    Samantha was one of the eldest of the many, many Hopps children. Though she was still fairly young for a teacher, the amber-eyed doe tried not to betray her love for her job too much to her little students, lest they catch onto her youthful spirit and disrupt her classes with their own silly antics. Samantha had grown rather tall for a doe and her stature served her well in keeping the little ones in line. Her height served her much better than her cream-colored fur with white masking, which could hardly be called "intimidating". Samantha's school district had a disproportionately high number of prey in it, even for Bunnyburrow, and Samantha knew she'd have to work hard to keep her own little "fluffle" under her paw, as prey tended to grow fairly quickly at this stage of life.   
  
    Nine-year-old kits were often such handfuls. Samantha remembered the stories of how her younger sister Judy had been at that age. Unlike most does however, the rambunctious gray-and-white bunny never quite grew  _out_ of that stage, and was now perhaps within only a couple of years reach of her own goal to become a police officer. Samantha shook her head at the notion. There certainly were a few odd ducks in the Hopps family.  
  
    Not that Samantha was one to talk.  
  
    Samantha smiled and picked up her pace as she saw a familiar sleek, blue mid-size car. Shuffling over to the passenger side, she got in, and smiled at the driver, a similarly sleek red fox vixen. Samantha gingerly set her things on the floor of the car and shut the door, patting off her mid-length skirt before getting her seat belt on.  
  
    "Hey," Samantha said quietly, her voice warm.  
  
    "Kept me waiting, Sam," the vixen said with a playful air, teasing evident in her light-brown eyes.  
  
    "Sorry, Meredith," Samantha shrunk back just a bit with a bashful smile. "Just had to get everything settled before I'm out for the summer." The car backed out of its space in the parking lot, and began to drive off. Meredith turned her radio down.  
  
    "I wish I got summer off," Meredith chuckled.  
  
    "How is work going, anyway?" Samantha wondered.  
  
    "Fair enough," nodded Meredith, hitting the speed limit of the road in no time at all. The bunny hummed to herself as she breathed in the scent of the vixen. With the car closed up, it was impossible to ignore. A powerful, almost violet-like scent. It was heady and tended to repulse some mammals, but not Samantha. In fact, she liked it when Meredith didn't wear her scent blocker. The effect from her scent was almost too much for the bunny at some times, and it was quickly getting to be one of those times. Relenting, Samantha turned down her window and her ears waved in the breeze as some of the scent escaped. "There's really no shortage of work for an electrician to do in Bunnyburrow."  
  
    "Right, I _know_..." Samantha nodded in agreement. "There's so much to do, so many places that need so much wiring. Not to mention all the problems that can crop up if something's out of place."  
  
    "Yeah, it's actually kind of stressful," Meredith agreed. "That reminds me though, the company wants me to move to Zootopia."  
  
    "Oh yeah?" Samantha considered this. "The big city, huh? I guess that'd give you more varied kinds of work than just bunny compounds over and over."  
  
    "I like bunnies, though," Meredith offered a charming smile with her edged teeth, briefly meeting Samantha's eyes. Samantha returned a meek, happy smile at this, rubbing her arm with her paw.   
  
    "When do you have to go?" Samantha asked, her voice slightly trailing.  
  
    "Tomorrow," came the terse reply.  
  
    "Tuh- _Tomorrow_?" Samantha's eyes went wide. "So soon? But... I mean, I just got off for summer, and- uh..."  
  
    "Yeah, it's a fairly sudden thing," Meredith shook her head, "but it's what I gotta do." She grinned again. "You're welcome to come with me, Sam."  
  
    "Come  _with_ you?" Samantha repeated, shaking her head as the statement blindsided her. "That's uh- it's so sudden!"  
  
    "C'mon, you know we've got this thing going," Meredith took a hand off the steering wheel and rotated it at the wrist. "Give it some thought maybe? I mean, you don't have to head off right away with me, but I'd prefer it if you did."  
  
    "I mean, uh," Samantha looked at the floor of the car, "I... I dunno if I could just up and get a teaching position in Zootopia so easily. But I do have the summer off! So maybe I could at least follow you there then, see how it is? Worst case scenario, I'd have to come back when school got back in."  
  
    Meredith shrugged in that non-committal way Samantha liked. The fox was always such a free spirit. The bunny liked that about her. She never seemed tied down or like the details of anything bothered her; whereas Samantha just wanted structure in her life.  
  
    "Sounds good to me, we'll just see what we see, huh?" Meredith chirped.  
  
    Samantha grew a bright, toothy smile. "This is kind of exciting. I mean, Zootopia... wow. The gleaming city. I've never been there. I wonder what it's like? I should- I should probably take maybe a day or two to pack or something..."  
  
    "Whatever you need," Meredith laughed.   
  
    "I doubt most of the family will be on board. But... going with you somewhere like that..." Samantha looked off into the distance as the sun went down. "It'll be so exciting. As a couple..."  
  
    "A bunny and a fox," the fox noted.  
  
    "I've thought about that before," Samantha sighed. "Pred and prey... it almost feels... deviant, you know? But it's so thrilling..."  
  
    "It's only deviant because  _normal_ mammals are scared of the kind of relationship that a pred and prey can have," Meredith sighed. "There's nothing like the attraction between a pred and prey. Nothing."  
  
    "You think so...?" Samantha smiled, unsure of this conviction.  
  
    "I  _know_ so," Samantha nodded insistently. "Prey-prey, pred-pred... it's never going to be as intense."  
  
    "Mm..." Samantha's giggle was short and nervous. Her nose twitched a bit; she could smell a whiff of the vixen even with the windows down, and it excited her as well. She knew Meredith could pick up on that, and she squirmed in her seat. "I guess you've got a point..."  
  
    "Hey, we should do something before I leave tomorrow," Meredith said, scooting up in the driver's seat so she wasn't slouching.   
  
    "Oh yeah?" Samantha's head tilted a few degrees.   
  
    Meredith nodded with a mischievous glint in her eyes making a right-hand turn. "Yeah. I know you'll like it."  
  
    Samantha tried not to burst into a guilty, excited smile at this, but failed, laughing.  
  
    Meredith tossed the bunny a bright smile again.


	2. Chapter 2

    Samantha struggled to get on all fours, her haggard breaths coming in heaving sobs. The smell in the abandoned barn was overpowering. The stench of blood and hay assaulted her rapidly twitching nose, causing her to falter. She struggled with a groan, trying to balance herself on her front paws, and gagged at the smell.  
  
    The bunny's cloudy eyes, blurred with tears, were fixated on her phone, which had been tossed carelessly on the other side of the barn. It was only a few steps away, but it seemed like an impassible valley to Samantha. She felt so weak.  
  
    She had been so weak.  
  
    Samantha moved one paw forward and gasped out a cry. Her back felt like it was on fire. Stinging, sharp pain shot across her back and threatened to overwhelm the bunny. She bowed her head, hiccuping and sobbing, before clenching her eyes and teeth closed and forcing herself to continue to crawl. Her neck ached, and she moved her hand to it absently, rubbing, flinching at the pain. When she retrieved it she noticed blood on her paw, disbelief flooding through her. Her head bobbed, then shook back and forth. Looking back with effort, she also saw her blood staining the hay where she had been. She gasped.  
  
    The bunny shivered in terror and let out a terse, shrill shriek of panic. Desperation and the ancient drive to survive caused her to lurch forward, scrambling just a few more feet forward until she collapsed onto her phone. Samantha pulled her face up from the ground, spitting the hay from her mouth, and continuing to spit in disgust and revulsion. She choked and gagged again, but her stomach was already empty, and nothing else would come up.  
  
    The phone wobbled as Samantha picked it up. She couldn't hold it still; her hand was shaking badly. Trying to unlock the phone, she found her efforts being thwarted by the warm red blood on her hand, staining her paw. Her mouth twisted into frustration and anger before she finally brushed the back of a knuckle against the "emergency" prompt. With great difficulty, she placed the phone to one of her ears.  
  
    "9-1-1, what is your emergency?" the dispatcher came over the phone.  
  
    "I wh-was attacked... by..." Samantha started to whimper. "By a fox...!" Her voice soared into a higher octave and broke off as she spoke the words that sounded completely alien to her.  
  
    "What is your location?"   
  
    "I don't- I don't know...!" Samantha replied desperately. "I'm in a barn... I'm alone." She choked. "What if- what if she comes back!? Gh... ghk-" She choked again.  
  
    "Please try to stay calm, ma'am," the nearly emotionless female voice replied. "What is your name?"  
  
    "Ss-Samantha Hopps..." Samantha muttered.  
  
    "Are you calling from your cellphone?"  
  
    "Yeah, I- I am..." Samantha couldn't even nod. "Please help me, I'm- I'm bleeding... I don't know, sh-she's going to come back again, isn't she? Ngh-!" Her senses started to fail her as her mind swam, but adrenaline and terror fought to keep her conscious.  
  
    "Please stay on the line, Samantha; we're sending help right away. Can you tell me what happened?"  
  
    Samantha opened her mouth, but she just started to cry as the memories swept over her again. Unbelievable, vile memories that were still in the process of burrowing their way deep into her mind. She sobbed and let out sorrowful whines and wails.  
  
    "Please stay on the line, Samantha, help is on its way."  
  
    The next few minutes were filled with Samantha's sobs, both loud and quiet, and more questions from the dispatcher that seemed to fade into a blur as Samantha forced herself to stay as awake as possible. Her head felt heavy. She shivered, even though the prevailing atmosphere was stuffy and humid.   
  
    The bunny couldn't quite understand. What had gone wrong? What had she done wrong?  
  
    Why would- how  _could_ Meredith do that to her?  
  
    "Ngh..." Samantha's face scrunched up again as she launched into another loud few sobs.  
  
    The fox had been so nice, up until that moment. It was almost like a switch had been flicked. All Samantha's mind could scream was "why?" as she begged for her to stop or at least slow down. But the more she resisted, the more violent and excited the vixen had gotten.  
  
    Scratching, biting. The memories and the fresh wounds blazed Samantha with searing pain; fire that whipped across her back and neck.  
  
    The things the fox had done and what Samantha had been forced to do. She spat again, gagging once more.  
  
    Samantha's strength continued to ebb. She could barely hear the operator, who was still trying to make conversation with the crying bunny.  
  
    What if she came back? The vixen said she was about to leave Zootopia, but was that a lie too?  
  
    Was anything she had ever said true?  
  
    Finally, she heard the piercing sirens approaching. The ambulances had found her. There would be no way for the vixen to get at her now.  
  
    "Help should be arriving now, Samantha."  
  
    Samantha didn't even hear the words. The relief she felt momentarily caused a breach in her defenses and she felt her senses extinguish. She collapsed onto the hay below her and darkness claimed her.  
  


* * *

  
    Even with the painkillers, Samantha had to be propped up a bit in so her back wasn't directly touching the hospital bed. It hurt so much; the wounds were fresh and deep. She kept forgetting and trying to relax backwards, only for the pain to jolt her forward with a wince. The doctors were discussing possibilities of nerve damage. There would definitely be scars. There were tests done, with her consent, before she was cleaned up. She hoped with a dark blaze of anger that it would help make the vixen pay.  
  
    Samantha's face was blank. Her energy was completely spent. She sat there in bed, seething. She knew who would be coming through her hospital door as soon as they could. She had to hold onto her newfound hatred and her anticipation of their questions, because if not she knew she'd just break down crying again.  
  
    Before long, the two middle-aged bunnies came through the hospital door with expressions of horror and concern on their face. Her parents.  
  
    "Sam...!?" Stu's voice was already weak as he rushed in; his wife barely keeping up with him as they rushed to her bedside.  
  
    "Sweetie, what _happened_?" Bonnie added in horror, holding a paw out.  
  
    "I was attacked by a fox," Samantha said with a glum emptiness. Bonnie put a paw to her mouth and Stu gasped shrilly, already starting to sob.  
  
    Bonnie's eyes searched the room as if she was afraid to ask the next question. "Not... not _Meredith_?"  
  
    Samantha's lip trembled once, but she held it into a firm frown as she turned her head away. "She raped me."  
  
    Stu wailed and covered his eyes with his arm. Bonnie's eyes started to swim and she closed them with difficulty, tears streaming out. Bonnie's face became lined with anger.  
  
    Samantha returned the glare, fighting tears herself. "I'm waiting for one of you to say it."  
  
    "What's that, Samantha?" Bonnie asked.  
  
    "That you both were _right_ ," Samantha sighed shakily, trying to relax, but the pain in her back didn't allow her to move back any further. "Rgh! That you were- that foxes are evil. That... that they're the most vhh-vile of mammals...!" Samantha started to cry again.  
  
    "Crafted from the red fur of the devil," Stu choked out. "The worst of all mammals... I can't- I can't  _believe_ this... first Gideon attacked Judy, and now _this_?"  
  
    "It's awful," Bonnie shook her head, sobbing.  
  
    "Is anyone else here- anyone from the family?" Samantha asked.  
  
    "No, it's just us," Bonnie affirmed.  
  
    "Keep it that way," Samantha ground her teeth together in a sneer. "I don't want anyone else to know."  
  
    "Sam...?" Stu was shocked.  
  
    "I don't want anyone else to know how  _weak_ and  _stupid_ I was!" Samantha blurted out in anger. She began to snivel again. "How could I have not seen this coming? What... what did I miss!?" She sobbed into her paws.  
  
    "I don't know, sweetheart," Bonnie's lip trembled. "I don't know... Mer- ...that  _vixen_ always seemed so nice when you brought her over."  
  
    "I thought she was really swell," Stu looked down in shame. "If you're stupid, I'm stupid too, Samantha. But- but more of the family's gonna figure out, even if we don't tell 'em."  
  
    "How? I'm not moving back home," Samantha shook her head.  
  
    "Samantha!" Bonnie blinked.  
  
    Samantha shook her head harder, but her breath caught at the pain that caused in her neck. "No! I'm not. I need- I need time."  
  
    "Sam, our home is yours, you know that," Stu explained gently with his arms out, worried. "You need us now more than ever..."  
  
    "No!" Sam clenched a fist. "I'm not coming home. I'm not going to be judged by all of my family! Just- kh-keep it to yourselves!"  
  
    "If you change your mind, Samantha, our door is always open," Bonnie said. "I'll ask you again though, are you sure this is right for you? Where is that vixen now? Do you think she could-"  
  
    "Zootopia, if what she said was true," Samantha said bitterly. "Wonder how much of this she planned beforehand."  
  
    At that moment, the hospital door opened, and two mammals entered. One was a stony-faced, light-blue eyed coyote. His face looked grizzled, but there was a youthfulness to him. He looked like he was perhaps in his early thirties. Despite it being summer, he had a long tan coat on. The other mammal was a stocky, well-built cow, had almost fiery reddish-brown fur, and hazel eyes. If possible, her expression was even graver than the coyote, and her almost wizened, world-weary expression spoke of an age that was at least in the mid-thirties.  
  
    "Who are you?" Stu asked automatically. The mammals brought out badges.  
  
    "Detectives Tabitha Moosier and Liam Halhoun," the cow said firmly. "Bunnyburrow Special Victims Unit."  
  
    "Would you mind if we talked to your daughter privately?" Liam asked. "She is of age, right?"  
  
    Samantha huffed in dry disbelief. "Thanks, but I'm way past eighteen."  
  
    "We'll be right down the hall if you need us, Samantha," Bonnie said, motioning her head for Stu to go. He reluctantly complied.  
  
    "Before we ask you any questions, would you be more comfortable if Detective Halhoun were to leave the room?" Tabitha asked with surprising gentleness.  
  
    "I wish I didn't have to answer any questions at all," Samantha admitted blankly. "But no, whatever. He can stay."  
  
    "We need to hear the story from you, Samantha," Liam said. "What exactly happened?"  
  
    Samantha drew in a deep, shaky breath, letting it out slowly. She began to tell the tale, and the investigators wrote down notes as she spoke. At first, the story went easily. She told them how Meredith took her to the barn with the promise of a fun time. Samantha had been so excited that she could barely contain herself. But quickly, it turned wrong. As things progressed, the vixen had become more aggressive. Pleas to slow down were ignored, and pleas to stop were met only with acceleration.  
  
    Samantha started to choke and sob again as she told the tale. She tried not to look too hard at Detective Halhoun. His lip was threatening to curl upwards in what Samantha guessed or hoped was disgust. She went on with difficulty, telling them how her clothes were reduced to tatters as Meredith took what she wanted from Samantha, how she held down onto her with one of her claws, bit her, forced her to do things for the vixen.  
  
    The bunny didn't add how betrayed she had felt, the terror for her life, the unreal quality that hung over the whole event. It still didn't quite feel real. Only the wounds that still dully screamed at her through the painkillers were a reminder of the truth.  
  
    "And you said she was heading to Zootopia?" Liam forced his lips down over his teeth as he talked. A hint of anger pulsed through his words.   
  
    "Yes, but that might have been a lie," Samantha noted.  
  
    "Regardless, it's something," Tabitha nodded. She scratched at one of her horns. "I'm guessing career criminal. If her DNA's been profiled before, we might be able to get her."  
  
    "The rape kit's still with the techs," Liam muttered. "It'll take some time."  
  
    "What happens if she... hasn't been profiled, or... or I'm the ff-first...?" Samantha mumbled. The vixen had said Samantha was her first girlfriend. That what they had was special. Samantha shook her head to throw the thought away. Of course it wasn't special. Of course  _she_ wasn't special. It was all lies. Every word.  
  
    "We'll get her," Tabitha said stonily. Samantha felt a bolt of helplessness at this. "Don't worry, we'll get her. She won't hurt you again."  
  
    "Our cards," Liam and Tabitha both offered cards, putting them on her table. "You suspect anything or hear anything from that dirtbag again, you call us."  
  
    "We're currently running your phone history to see if we can get her that way," Tabitha offered. "It'll be back to you as soon as-"  
  
    "No," Samantha interrupted. "I don't want that phone back. You guys can keep it. I'll... get a new one."  
  
    The cow paused, looking at her partner. "Understandable. We'll keep it."  
  
    "If that dirtbag fox tries to call her, it'll be even easier to pin her down," Liam sneered in something like righteous anger.  
  
    "Calm down, Liam; let's not jump to any conclusions," Tabitha warned. "We'll take things one step at a time." Her voice softened a little and she gestured to Samantha. "You do the same, as well, okay Samantha? Get some rest."  
  
    The detectives excused themselves and left Samantha alone.  
  
    It was a nice sentiment, but Samantha didn't think she'd be getting much rest that night. 


	3. Chapter 3

    Samantha entered her Bunnyburrow apartment slowly at the conclusion of another day. She sighed, her paw lingering on the doorknob before she locked the door and set the two additional locks she had installed in her apartment. She sat on her bed after tossing her personal effects on her desk; her body slumped slightly as she sat. The bunny turned her head, looking at herself in the mirror. It'd only been about nine months, but it was a long nine months.  
  
    The kids at school had been able to tell something was wrong, of course. Children were often more emotionally perceptive than mammals gave them credit for. Samantha had told the principal, but no one else. The light was gone from her eyes; the zest from her teaching style; her face often fixed into a focused frown. She went through the motions and did what the job necessitated of her, but she had been diminished.  
  
    Samantha bowed her head. She wished she could fake it. Happiness or desire. For the kids' sake, at least.  
  
    The bunny removed her clothes and got out her sleeping clothes. Before redressing, she turned around in the mirror and tried to look at her back. It was getting easier to do so without faltering or crying, but the claw-mark scars still seemed garish. The scars were just big and deep enough that fur couldn't grow close enough to hide them. Samantha sneered a little. They were a branding; an outward sign that her life could never be the same again.  
  
    Slipping into her night clothes, she sat on her bed again. She wished she could stop her thoughts from turning dark and melancholy all the time, but she couldn't. When the distractions of the day were over, without music or children bickering or people talking to her to distract her, the dark thoughts gathered like an approaching storm. They consumed her with their weight, forcing her mood ever downward.  
  
    Moving home was sounding like a better idea every day. Samantha didn't know how she'd broach the subject with any of her siblings, especially her litter-mates, but having her ears filled with kits complaining or adults bickering over trivial things would definitely beat the whispering silence she suffered through every time she was alone.  
  
    Doubts, fears, despair. All of them crept in, and often.  
  
    Sleep was a respite. Samantha laid in bed. She'd taken to sleeping on her stomach now. She used to hate it; the feeling of lying face-down was suffocating and irritating to her. But that time when she just couldn't lay on her back from the pain, or even her side for fear of slipping onto her back while trying to fall asleep had altered her views. Samantha got over the discomfort and learned to sleep on her stomach, though with her head facing the door.  
  
_Vvt, vvt._  
  
    Samantha's thoughts were dragged out of the murk by the sound of her phone vibrating. The small column of light from her phone momentarily activating was like a beacon. It was fairly late; who would be texting her? Maybe her mother woke up worried about her again. Samantha stirred a bit, figuring she should probably get out of bed and check.  
  
    As Samantha rose from her bed, the sound repeated.  
  
_Vvt, vvt._  
  
    Samantha's eyes squinted at the light as she saw a duo of texts from an unfamiliar number.  
  
    [I miss you.]  
    [It wasn't easy to get your new number.]  
  
    Samantha squeaked in shrill alarm, and panic filled her system, chasing away any thought of sleep. She flicked the light on without thinking, starting to hyperventilate. Her nose was twitching rapidly already.  
  
    "Oh God... oh God..." Samantha stared at the phone in terror. There was no way. It had to be a mistaken text. She shook her head, refuting the idea that-  
  
    [But mammals will do just about anything you need if you say the right things to them.]  
  
    Samantha choked. It felt like a fist had closed around her stomach. She faltered again, shaking her head harder. Her paw opened a drawer and then quickly closed around the handle of a karambit, a wickedly-curved short blade developed by bunnies of old. The blade was meant to emulate and surpass the claws and teeth of predators; give bunnies a fighting chance against their aggressors.  
  
    Trying to regain control of herself, she stared at the phone. What could she do? Where was the vixen?  
  
    [The bunnies here in Zootopia are so dull. They don't have that naive spirit of the ones in Bunnyburrow.]  
  
    "Oh _God_!" Samantha cringed, her eyes threatening to line with tears. It was definitely her. But at least the fox didn't seem to be in Bunnyburrow, unless it was another trick. Samantha's eyes darted from her door to her phone, and then she looked out her window, but she couldn't see too much in the dark. Why couldn't bunnies have gotten night-vision like those awful predators?  
  
    [Sorry I said you were my first, Sam. You were definitely the sweetest, though.]  
  
    Samantha's breath heaved. She held the karambit up, and her thoughts crashed into each other chaotically. For several seconds, she considered stabbing the phone. She had to destroy it; had to cut off this new avenue that the fox could use to reach her. Samantha slammed the knife down on the counter on its flat edge, panting and trying to catch her breath once more.  
  
    [You aren't asleep already, are you? Such a dutiful bunny.]  
  
    Samantha's lip curled and she yelled out in unrestrained anger. She reached for the drawer, and pulled out the cards she'd received from the detectives. She unlocked her phone, being careful to avoid the text conversation, and punched in one of the numbers.  
  
    She didn't know why, but Samantha was calling the coyote. Something in the slight anger she sensed when they were talking resonated with her more then the dryness and subtle gentleness displayed by the cow.  
  
    Four rings went by.  
  
    "Pick up... please pick up...!" Samantha pleaded desperately.  
  
    "Halhoun," the coyote finally said over the line. "Who is this? Better be worth getting out of bed for."  
  
    "Detective Halhoun, it's me- er, it's Samantha Hopps," Samantha babbled, her voice pinched and tight, trying not to cry. "Th- the fox, Meredith Pinemeadow... I think- I think she got my number somehow; she's texting me..."  
  
    Samantha immediately started hearing rustling on the other end of the line.  
  
    "Listen to me, Samantha," Liam Halhoun said, "you're at your apartment?"  
  
    "Uh-huh," Samantha nodded absently, staring at her karambit.  
  
    "Don't move, don't call anyone else, and don't touch those messages," Liam said sternly. "I'll be right over with help. Hold fast."  
  
    He hung up. Samantha carefully set her phone down and sat on the bed with her karambit. The uncertainty of the next few minutes was only slightly less terrifying than the actual aftermath of the attack. Samanthas paws were held tight around the handle of the blade in a sort of vigil. Slowly, after two more minutes, she realized there would be another canid showing up at her door shortly, and she had a death-grip around a weapon. A few scenarios played out in her head, none of them good.  
  
    Probably not the best bet, she thought. Samantha slowly, almost agonizingly set the karambit back down, her paw shaking as she did so, slowly exhaling and hovering her paw over the weapon as she waited for help to come. She felt like setting the knife down drained all of her defenses, and now she had to put faith in a couple of total strangers who were tasked to save her from the harassment of someone she thought she knew.  
  
    Thought she _loved_.  
  
    It was a very long few minutes until the detective arrived.  
  
    Though she knew he was coming, she still flinched when the soft knock at her door came. Samantha hesitated and her breath halted; afraid even to admit she was home.  
  
    "This is Halhoun," Liam said simply from beyond the door. Samantha shot off her bed and worked at the locks, opening the door just a crack.  
  
    "Hello?" Samantha replied.  
  
    "Got a team searching the perimeter, Samantha," Liam said brusquely, holding his badge out at eye-level for the bunny. "Can I come in?"  
  
    Samantha hesitated again. She looked out the window and saw policemammals of several types looking around with flashlights. She sighed, then let him in.  
  
    "Anything else happen when I was on the way?" Liam asked. Samantha shook her head.  
  
    "No, just the texts," she answered. "They stopped before I called you." Liam nodded and looked at Samantha's desk, and the karambit blatantly displayed atop it, right next to her phone.  
  
    "A karambit," Liam observed, looking over the weapon. "Mm." His face softened several degrees and he looked at Samantha. "Are you all right?"  
  
    "No," Samantha admitted, shaking her head, but then she looked slightly alarmed. "It's not what you think, though. I just bought one because- because... uh..."  
  
    "You want to protect yourself," Liam nodded. "I got it. A brutal weapon, but if you wanted to hurt yourself, there would be other-..." He broke off abruptly and paused, taking a large, slow breath. He shook his head, then nodded again. Samantha felt very uncomfortable. "Don't worry. I got it."  
  
    Samantha deflated a little bit. "Are you going to have to take that?"  
  
    "No, you keep it, you defend yourself if need be, and you put that thing into the vixen if she tries to come here," Liam said firmly, picking up her phone. "Just have to steal your phone again." His voice carried no humor to it.  
  
    "Do you think... you'll get her this time?" Samantha's voice sounded hopeless. Calhoun walked a few steps toward Samantha, who was seated on her bed, then he crouched down to be lower then her, looking at her.  
  
    "You listen to me," Liam said gravely, but with a touch of gentleness. "I'm not going to stop working this case until I get that vixen. I will hunt her down. Doesn't matter if she's gone to Zootopia or's trying to leave the country. I'll get her. Me and Moosier."  
  
    A stag officer showed up at the door. "It's clear, Detective."  
  
    "Good," Liam turned his head toward the stag briefly and nodded him away. He looked back up at Samantha. "You rest easy tonight, Samantha. We'll get her."  
  
    "But- but I've given you my phone before and- and..." Samantha's voice sounded more desperate than she wanted it to. She was fighting tears again.  
  
    "You did good, Miss," Liam shook his head. "You haven't responded to her, right?" Samantha shook her head, causing Liam's frown to narrow and his brow to furrow a little. "Good. Good. We'll run the number; she probably won't dump this next phone until she knows she's gotten you on the line. But that's not going to happen again, you hear me? Moosier's already on her way over to Zootopia, I'm going to drop this off at the office for immediate analysis, then I'm going too. As soon as we get the info, we'll get the Zootopia Police involved. We'll _get her_."  
  
    Samantha wiped the welling liquid from her eyes, but her brow dropped and she nodded. "And what if... what if she's just trying to lure you two away from me?"  
  
    "I can have a couple officers stay around for their shift," Liam started to stand up. "This is my priority. To keep her from you, and to take her down."  
  
    "Thank you..." Samantha breathed out in barely a whisper.  
  
    "Thank yourself," Liam said, moving to the door. "Keep that presence of mind, and you'll get through this."  
  
    Samantha locked the door again after he left, but felt just the slightest bit of relief and comfort after looking out of her window and again seeing that Detective Halhoun hadn't lied; police were still ambling about the apartment building.  
  
    With this, exhaustion claimed her and she collapsed into bed and quickly fell into sleep. It was uneasy, nightmare-filled sleep. But it was sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

    Even though it was in a mostly rural city, the Bunnyburrow courthouse was a bit of an intimidating building. It's tall columns spoke of building techniques long past and outdated, but carried the weight of old truths. Truths like Karma, the idea that you reap what you sow. Karma will find her way. She will hunt for justice.  
  
    Samantha frowned as she looked up at the building and especially at the fairly new polished stone statue of the quadruped canid Celestial, Karma herself. It was traditional in the country at large to post such a statue outside of courthouses, but Bunnyburrow as a community had rejected the notion for a long time, as they were a primarily prey society.  
  
    "I bet if you exist at all, you show favor to your whelps, don't you?" Samantha asked of the statue. Samantha turned from the statue and walked up the steps to the building, opening one of the doors. She saw the two detectives she was acquainted with talking off to the side.  
  
    "She coulda given me just one reason; just a  _half_ of a reason," Liam Halhoun held up a pointer finger, looking to be on edge. The coyote ran his tongue over his teeth, his muzzle bunched up. "Then I could have ripped her  _throat_ out and we wouldn't be having to do this little song and dance."  
  
    "Easy, Liam," Tabitha Moosier held one hand out. "If you could keep your snout shut, you'd be doing us both a favor. Especially since-" Tabitha noticed Samantha. "Ah, there she is."  
  
    "Samantha," Liam said, nodding.  
  
    "Miss Hopps," Tabitha gave a single, slow nod.  
  
    "Hello," Samantha said. "So, where do we go?"  
  
    "We're headed to the District Attorney's office," Tabitha said, indicating that Samantha should walk with the two. Samantha took in how odd the sounds of Tabitha's hooves clacking against the smooth floor sounded. The acoustics of the tall-ceiling building made it seem like the sound was enveloping them. Samantha was fighting a headache. "We're going to review your testimony and then we should be ready for the trial."  
  
    "What's the District Attorney like?" Samantha wondered as the three went.  
  
    "He's..." Liam narrowed one eye. "Good at his job."  
  
    "Not much of a people mammal," Tabitha offered. "His name is Adrian Andeers; a stag, about fifty-one, I think?"  
  
    "He's made it over the hill already, huh?" Liam shook his head. "He's certainly jaded enough to be that old."  
  
    "I have to apologize for my partner earlier," Tabitha said. "He tends to go off on violent tangents sometimes."  
  
    "If it were up to me," Samantha began, "I'd have let him borrow my karambit to plunge right into her-"  
  
    "Well, okay now!" Tabitha interrupted. "Okay! Let's remember where we _are_ , you violent little mammals." The cow shook her head subtly, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Liam released an amused huff in Samantha's direction. The three made their way into the District Atourney's office.  
  
    "Detectives, and Miss Hopps," the stag said, gesturing at some seats. Samantha sat down, but the detectives remained standing. "Trying to be cool, are we?" He grunted. "Can I get you some water, Miss Hopps?"  
  
    "I'm not thir-" Samantha started automatically, but then realized how dry her throat felt. "Yes, please." The deer poured her a glass of a water, which she quickly downed. He had a weathered face that looked even older than his reported age suggested. He looked immaculate in his black suit and red tie. His antlers stood out almost incongruously to the rest of his grizzled appearance; they were still covered with fresh velvet. He must have just grown in that year's set, Samantha figured. She then looked at his desk and at the "ADRIAN ANDEERS - DISTRICT ATTORNEY" plate adorning it.  
  
    Adrian gave her some time to acclimate, and again silently offered chairs to the two detectives. The cow bowed her head slightly and shook it, while the coyote folded his arms firmly.  
  
    "Let's just get this thing started," Liam suggested.  
  
    "All right," Adrian said. "Miss Hopps, I have your written testimony here. You were quite detailed, to your credit."  
  
    "It's not something you can exactly forget," Samantha muttered.  
  
    "Mm," Adrian nodded. "Well, the good news is our case is looking airtight. Miss Pinemeadow won't have a chance. The physical evidence was there, the crime scene spoke volumes, and her DNA was profiled as soon as our Detectives arrested her."  
  
    "Then what's the bad news?" Samantha replied.  
  
    "That I'm afraid to make our case complete, you'll have to testify," Adrian placed the three fingers of both of his hoofed hands together.  
  
    "What?" Liam started a bit, and Samantha's face registered similar alarm. "Don't do that to the poor prey- surely you don't need her verbal testimony...!"  
  
    "For a conviction? I don't believe I do," Adrian said. "However, if you want a chance at the maximum sentence, we will need to hear Miss Hopps speak." Samantha felt her stomach drop, and put her paw on her chest.  
  
    "So if you're going to get the conviction anyway- oh I see what this is," Liam sneered.  
  
    "Easy, Liam...!" Tabitha warned.  
  
    "You just want to put on a big show for the jury, don't you?" Liam accused, pointing at the stag. "You're always like this, only thinking about your-"  
  
    "Detective Halhoun," the stag interrupted calmly. "I would hope that by now you know how the game is played."  
  
    "It's not a _game_ , Andeers!" Liam held his curled fingers near his face, then clenched his fist. "I know the only reason you dragged that vixen back here was because you thought this case was an easy win; would bump up your conviction rate!"  
  
    "Is that why I brought her back?" Adrian pressed his hooves against each other firmly. He made a slight, wry smile. "Detective Halhoun, you really should have waited until you became my age to get so bitter." Samantha seemed confused. "Tabitha, perhaps you could illuminate your partner on why I insisted Miss Pinemeadow be brought back here, against her lawyer's wishes?"  
  
    Tabitha rolled her eyes. "I know why, but since you like talking so much, why don't you explain it?"  
  
    "Hm, very well," Adrian smiled darkly and stood up. "Why I brought her back to Bunnyburrow is very simple.  _Bunnyburrow_ is very simple. It's made up of a lot of small-minded bigots who, on the whole, fear predators. So any jury you could scrounge up from this place is bound to be filled with speciesist mammals, even those who say they are not. Once they hear of how a  _fox_ ravaged this one of her  _bunny_ victims straight from said bunny's mouth, well, you can imagine a Bunnyburrow jury will have very little sympathy for such a fox."  
  
    Samantha blinked. It sounded good to her, but found her feelings were somewhat conflicted deep down.  
  
    Stranger still, Liam spoke up to voice them. "So that's all it is then? Just a game to win?"  
  
    "A game we play by the _rules_ , Halhoun," Adrian nodded, standing off to the side. "This 'grand' game of law and order. Samantha here is an important piece. We've contacted the other victims, but they either don't have a viable case or refused to testify. Thus, I'm afraid the burden rests upon you, Samantha."  
  
    "I'll testify," Samantha said firmly. "I need her to pay."  
  
    "Splendid," Adrian sat back down. "Now, when your testimony is cross-examined by Mr. Bunson-"  
  
    "It's _Bunson_?" Liam's muzzle scrunched up in distaste. "Has he no shame? A bunny defending that fox!?"  
  
    "Tabitha dear," Adrian's humor and patience seemed to be wearing thin, "did you happen to bring a muzzle for your partner?" Tabitha glared at Liam.  
  
    "He's a bunny!" Liam sneered in protest. "Species traitor."  
  
    "His only God is the dollar," Adrian explained. "He comes highly regarded in Zootopia and likes higher profile cases. He'll fight tooth and claw, but he's going to lose. A cornered mammal is dangerous, after all, even if it's a bunny." Adrian looked pointedly at Samantha. "I want you to be aware of the things he might ask you."  
  
    "Like...?" Samantha suddenly felt dread.  
  
    "Like if the actions between you two were truly non-consensual," Adrian said blankly. Samantha gasped, unprepared for this. Liam's muzzle scrunched in fury, but he managed to stay quiet, though Samantha heard a barely-audible growl.  
  
    "You really think he'd go for the pred-play thing?" even Tabitha seemed put off by this.  
  
    "It's what I would do if I was a sleazy lawyer like Bunson," Adrian grunted. "There's no way he can disprove the rape occurred, so he'll go right to the root of the issue. He'll try to bring up pred-play and the eccentricities involved in such a relationship."  
  
    "That's not going to _work_ , is it...?" Samantha felt like she was sinking.  
  
    "Of course not," Adrian replied. "Again, he will be trying to convince narrow-minded bunnies, mostly, that the type of abuse you endured was consensual. It's not going to work. We have the pictures of your injuries and the subsequent scarring. All you have to to is refute the idea, and we'll do the rest."  
  
    "That's all, huh...?" Samantha felt her breaths coming a little quicker.  
  
    "Try not to worry too much about it," Tabitha said, trying to sound convincing. "We've got this." Samantha rubbed at her throat.  
  
    "More water?" Adrian gestured at his pitcher. Samantha nodded.

 

* * *

 

    Samantha could barely concentrate on the trial because  _she_ was there. The defendant, Meredith Pinemeadow. The bunny tried as hard as she could not to look at her even once, but it couldn't be helped. The morbid curiosity wracked her anxious mind until the breaking point. She made sure to look only when she was absolutely sure the fox wouldn't notice.  
  
    It struck Samantha how calm and almost serene Meredith looked. It also disgusted her. Inwardly, she quietly fumed. Didn't that vixen know she was essentially doomed? Of course, this wasn't a capital offense, but-  
  
    "The prosecution calls Samantha Hopps to the stand," Adrian said. Samantha's thoughts were jarred loose and she slowly made her way up to the stand. Now there wouldn't be any hiding from those light-brown eyes of that vixen. Samantha sighed and tried to center herself.  
  
    When prompted, Samantha told the story of her attack. Each detail was laser-etched into her memory and she misted up more than once during the story, but she powered through it nonetheless. Adrian's blank face, betraying no reaction to the grisly details, also was somewhat off-putting. As a matter of fact, everything just seemed  _wrong_ to Samantha somehow. She didn't know if it was just her worsening headache or the situation, but Samantha almost felt dizzy.  
  
    "Nothing further, Samantha," Adrian withdrew, and then Mr. Bunson approached. Even though Samantha was prepared for what the tuxedo-colored bunny might say to her, she was silently praying that he wouldn't.  
  
    "Just so we're clear," Mr. Bunson started, "the actions between you and my client were non-consensual, correct?" He indicated Meredith and Samantha reflexively looked at the fox. She wore a very tiny smile. Samantha felt her stomach turn and her pulse throb in her head. She turned her head away from the fox.  
  
    "The actions were completely non-consensual," Samantha said stonily, though her voice wavered once.  
  
    "I'm not sure if the jury is aware of this," Mr. Bunson said, starting to pace. "But relationships between a predator and a prey often have some degree of danger or excitement to them. Scientists are still looking into the reasoning between pred-prey attraction, but in a large number of cases it's that the prey appreciates the somewhat aggressive behavior of the predator."  
  
    "Objection. Speculation," Adrian said blankly at his desk.  
  
    "Overruled, for now," the aged sheep judge said, turning her head toward Bunson. "Make your point quickly, Mr. Bunson."  
  
    "Samantha, I mean you no offense," Bunson said, and quickly Samantha steeled herself for an offensive question. "But could it be that you left room for my client to misinterpret your pleas to stop as encouragement to keep going, as a form of pred-play?" Adrian looked warily at Bunson. Samantha's jaw dropped, looking at the judge. The judge nodded diagonally, looking somewhat tired.  
  
    "Nh-no!" Samantha almost shouted. "I was screaming and crying repeatedly for her to stop!" She searched her memory. "There was no sort of safe-word involved, she just- just did what she wanted to...!"  
  
    "So you  _are_ aware of some of the specifics of pred-play?" Bunson tilted his head. "So you knew going into your relationship with my client of the type of-"  
  
    "Objection, your honor," Adrian said loudly. "Badgering the witness."  
  
    "Sustained," the judge said, looking at Bunson. "You're on thin ice, Mr. Bunson."  
  
    "Nothing further, your honor," Bunson said with an airy, gracious tone.  
  
    "The prosecution calls Detective Liam Halhoun," Adrian said blankly. Liam took the stand.  
  
    "Please tell me what happened when you arrived on the scene of the incident, Detective," Adrian got up and closed in on Liam.  
  
    "Miss Hopps was unconscious; she had lost blood and the barn smelled heavily like blood and sexual fluids," Liam recalled. "Definitely a vixen's scent, along with Miss Hopps'." Bunson looked like he wanted to dispute this, but he refrained.  
  
    "The prosecution would like to introduce exhibit B," Adrian said, bringing up a manilla folder. Even though she couldn't see what was inside, Samantha knew what must be in it, and closed her eyes, turning her head away.  
  
    "These are pictures of Miss Hopps?" Adrian asked, showing the photos of a cream-colored bunny's back to Liam, then the jury. Two members of the jury gasped, and more made faces.  
  
    "Yes; with Miss Hopps' consent, they were taken just after the attack, and twice more as they were healing," Liam said eagerly, "as you can see, the lacerations are on areas of the back that one couldn't make themselves. Not only that, there are puncture wounds on the back of the neck, and shoulder." Samantha grit her teeth. Liam tried not to sneer. His voice got louder and more passionate: "The wounds width and depth suggests a brutal attack, whereas the markings are consistent with injuries from fox claws. Clearly they couldn't have been consensual-"  
  
    "Objection! Speculation," Bunson said quickly.  
  
    "Sustained," the judge said, then turned wearily to Liam. " _Please_ try to keep your tongue in check, Detective Halhoun."  
  
    "Yes, your honor," Liam grunted.  
  
    "The prosecution would like to introduce exhibit C," Adrian said, showing a baggie of small hairs. "What are these, Detective?"  
  
    "We recovered fur from the scene," Liam nodded. "Intermixed with Miss Hopps' were also hairs that we didn't have an immediate profile to, but they ended up belonging to Miss Pinemeadow."  
  
    "And that would suggest... what, Detective Halhoun?" Adrian rotated his wrist.  
  
    Liam looked exasperated. "That there was, at the very least, a struggle of a sexual nature between Miss Pinemeadow and Miss Hopps, considering the fluids we also recovered from the scene. Also, as we did not recover any blood from Miss Pinemeadow, that the attack was one-sided."  
  
    "Thank you very much," Adrian grinned. "Nothing further." Liam tried very hard not to sneer at him, and only mostly succeeded.  
  
    Bunson paused, but then rose. "No questions, your honor."  
  
    Samantha felt a small burst of hope.

 

* * *

 

    Despite the fleeting feeling of encouragement, the trial lasted several times longer than she thought it would. The prosecution tried to paint Meredith as a serial rapist, using testimonials, similar cases that fit the profile of the attack on Samantha, and it just went on and on. Samantha felt like they were talking in circles.  
  
    Finally, there was the deliberation of the jury, which was mercifully brief. Then, finally, the verdict came.  
  
    Guilty.  
  
    Samantha breathed out in relief, but it was less relief than she thought she'd feel. Meredith had gotten the maximum sentence for the crimes of rape and aggravated assault against a mammal, though not more than that. It was a long sentence, but Samantha knew it was possible that she'd survive it.  
  
    "See you later!" Meredith said loudly as she was moved off by the bailiff. Samantha hadn't seen her say that, but she heard it, and she knew she was talking to her. She balled her hands into fists, looking down. Tabitha put her hoof on her shoulder gingerly.  
  
    As Samantha exited the courthouse, she was accosted by another female bunny. Samantha thought she barely remembered her from the courtroom, when she was on the stand. The bunny was tri-color and had crystal blue eyes. She would have been absolutely stunning, were it not for a harsh diagonal scar across her face that skipped over one of her eyes.  
  
    "Miss Hopps?" the bunny asked. "I'm Kayla Waters. I was... I was one of her's..."  
  
    "Don't say it like that," Samantha said. "She's gone now." Though only for a given definition of "gone", Samantha admitted to herself.  
  
    "I just w-wanted to say, I admired how brave you were up there," Kayla said. "After she did it to me I... I didn't know what to do. I took too long to go to the police. I... I thought that's how it might have to be between a predator and a prey." She hiccuped. "I'm s-sorry. This is my fault."  
  
    "What? No it's not!" Samantha exclaimed, her eyes widening.  
  
    "If I went to the police right away, maybe I could have stopped her from moving on from me," Kayla winced. "I should have... I should have. As it was, when she went back for me, she knew I was... I was trying to like it. It wasn't what she wanted. She liked the-"  
  
    "It's over now, Kayla," Samantha hugged her, though it was more of a mechanical gesture than a real hug of empathy. Samantha felt something like emptiness.  
  
    "I'm so sorry, Samantha," Kayla hugged back tightly. She let go. "If there's anything I can do..."  
  
    Samantha shook her head, and Kayla tearfully nodded and left. Samantha looked back at the statue of Karma. She wasn't sure what to think.  
  
    Tabitha and Liam saw her looking, and hurried down the steps to meet her.  
  
    "She could still get out someday, couldn't she?" Samantha muttered.  
  
    "Not for a long, long time," Tabitha put her hands on her hips. "Bunson will probably try to appeal the sentence, but I don't think it will get anywhere. I hate to admit it, but Andeers was probably right to drag her here in front of a mostly-bunny jury."  
  
    "If she even lasts that long in jail," Liam said with a small hint of hopefulness. "I'd like to think there are some punks in there that look down on pred-on-prey violence like I do."  
  
    "We can't all have your sterling moral code, Liam," Tabitha rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Miss Hopps, from now on, you should focus on  _you_ and building yourself up."  
  
    "Thank you both, very much..." Samantha nodded. Tabitha started to make her way away. Liam started to walk off too, but turned back.  
  
    "I'm not the best at giving advice," Liam said. "But... people will tell you it'll get better and... just- just don't-  _please_ don't put a time limit on your recovery, okay?" Liam held out his hand. "It's the worst thing you could do. It's gonna take time. Longer than you want it to."  
  
    Samantha sighed.  
  
    "Sorry, not trying to discourage yh-" Liam was interrupted by Samantha taking and shaking his hand. Liam hadn't explicitly put it out to be shook, but he shook back anyway.  
  
    "Thank you, Detective Halhoun," Samantha said.  
  
    "Listen, this might sound untoward," Liam scratched at the back of his head, looking almost pained. "But, I... just- if you need an ear, just call me again and I'll see if we can set something up."  
  
    "Maybe," Samantha nodded. Liam closed his eyes and nodded in return, then made his way off with Tabitha.  
  
    Samantha very, very barely smiled. The burden was still mostly there, the headache still there, and she still felt like she might just collapse at any moment.  
  
    But it felt just a bit better to know that some form of justice was served.


	5. Chapter 5

    Samantha felt a weight in her stomach as she walked towards the principal's office just after school hours. How odd that at her age,  _she'd_ be called back to the principal's office. She wasn't stupid, though; she knew why she was being called.  
  
    Ted Hamilton, a rounder-than-average pig with small eyes and matching small glasses, motioned to the seat across from his desk.   
  
    "Please, Samantha, sit down," he said. She complied, sitting down gingerly. He sighed heavily. "You know why I've called you here."  
  
    "I do..." Samantha said distantly.  
  
    "One kid got it on video, Samantha," Mr. Hamilton said. His voice sounded pained.  
  
    "I... I wasn't thinking, it just kind of came out," Samantha said, shaking her head.   
  
    "Samantha," Mr. Hamilton sighed again. "I've... I've tried to be patient with you. I know what you're going through and that it can't be easy. But I can't have you  _yelling_ at our predator students. The harshness, the slurs you used..." he shook his head. "You can understand that we can't have that type of behavior here at Peaceful Sprouts."  
  
    "Yes, I understand," Samantha hung her head low. "It... it won't happen again."  
  
    Mr. Hamilton closed his eyes and put his hooves together. "You're right; it won't."  
  
    Samantha's mouth opened slightly and she stared at the pig. "Sir...?"  
  
    "I'm very sorry, Samantha, but my hooves are tied," Mr. Hamilton looked remorseful. "I've already been contacted by Jeffrey Rednard's parents and they're calling for your dismissal."  
  
    "And you're just gonna..." Samantha's lip wobbled. "Even though...?"  
  
    "We're lucky they're not seeking  _legal_ action against you, Samantha," Mr. Hamilton said gravely.  
  
    " _Legal_ action?" Samantha was even more startled and her paws trembled.   
  
    "I know, I know," Mr. Hamilton held his hooves up in a defensive gesture. "But predators these days are quick to pounce, if you'll excuse the expression. All of those equality and predator activism movements going on these days makes events like this an easy target."   
  
    Samantha's eyes were unfocused, looking at the principals desk. She couldn't believe she had messed up this badly.  
  
    "I'm not unsympathetic to you, Samantha," Mr. Hamilton said, holding his hands out in a gesture of peace. "The best I can do is to  _not_ enter this incident onto your record. As long as I let you go and the Rednards don't seek any additional action, this may not become an obstacle to you if you were to pursue employment at another school."  
  
    "'Another school'..." Samantha repeated, sounding unconvinced.  
  
    "I'm sorry, Samantha," Mr. Hamilton went on. "Please don't think of this as punitive. You clearly- well, you need some time, is all I can say."  
  
    "Thank you..." Samantha said. "May I... may I go?" Mr. Hamilton nodded.  
  
    "I'll keep in touch with you if anything else arises from this incident," the pig principal said. "Take care of yourself, okay?"  
  
    Samantha nodded silently and walked out of the door of the office, staring at the halls she was about to leave behind.  
  
    How could this have happened? That  _vixen_ took away everything from Samantha. Her peace of mind, her happiness, and now even her dream job. What did she have left?  
  
    Samantha let loose a shaky sigh. She knew of at least one thing she had.  
  


* * *

  
    "Whoa, look everyone, it's Samantha!" a young Hopps kit said, pointing at Samantha as she made her way into the main hall of the Hopps compound through the front door. She was dragging a suitcase with her.  
  
    "Samantha! Why's she look so sad?"  
    "Do you need a hug, Samantha?"  
    "Did you bring me any presents?"  
  
    Samantha ignored the kits and made her way forward, where she was greeted by her parents.  
  
    "Now you kits, leave your sister alone," Stu scolded with one hand on his hip and the other shaking an index finger at his progeny. They listened to their father's voice and backed off.  
  
    "Hello, Samantha," Bonnie said in a warm, yet guarded tone that spoke of her understanding of the situation. Samantha nodded diagonally once, and Bonnie came over and carefully hugged her. Samantha stood there and let it happen. Stu was next, being very ginger with her.      
  
    "Hi," Samantha said wearily.   
  
    "I've already gotten a room prepared for you in the west wing, okay?" Bonnie said tenderly. "You won't have to share it with anyone else."  
  
    "Thanks, mom..." Samantha nodded.  
  
    "And you do as much or as little as you feel like you want to while you're here, okay Sam? I'm not going to push you," Stu said, holding out his hands.  
  
    "Thank you, dad," Samantha smiled faintly.  
  
    "Anything you'd like in particular for dinner, sweetie?" Bonnie offered with her eyebrows turned up.  
  
    "Anything's fine," Samantha shook her head.  
  
    "Let's give her some space, Bon," Stu suggested, and Bonnie nodded her agreement.  
  
    "I'll be down soon, just let me unpack," Samantha replied.  
  
    "Take your time, dear heart," Bonnie's mouth nearly grimaced in empathetic pain, but she nodded again.  
  
    Samantha frowned a little at catching this. She then went to the room marked for her. She sighed. It had been awhile since she was living at home, and she honestly never thought she'd be back. She never thought she'd want to be back, but she figured the white noise from her siblings might help, just a little.  
  
    While unpacking, she took out her karambit first, looked at it thoughtfully, and put it into a drawer of her dresser.   
  


* * *

  
    A couple of weeks went by uneventfully.  
  
    The gym didn't see much use in the Hopps Compound, as most bunnies were either too lazy to use it or they were too wiped out after a hard day's work on the farm to want to do any additional exercise. Samantha however, was finding it her new haunt at home. It was true that she was often alone there, but the exercise drowned out her thoughts.  
  
    "Hut! Hagh!" Samantha jabbed alternately at a sandbag. It felt good to punch and kick at it, attacking it until her limbs burned with that satisfying ache from exerting oneself. The bunny knew she was only getting stronger, and if another similarly-sized attacker tried to come after her, she'd soon be able to take them on.  
  
    Samantha stilled the sandbag, centering herself and walking away from it.  
  
    Suddenly, she imagined an attack from behind her. She positioned her arms where one of the grasping arms would be and bent to let the weight of the attacker work against them to throw them over her shoulder. Following the motion, she crouched, and delivered a swift punch to where the fox's solar plexus would be.  
  
    Of course she always imagined it'd be another fox.  
  
    Standing up, she then imagined an attack from the front. Claws and fangs bared with hands raised, a classic predator pose for attack, meant to intimidate. But it was instinctual, full of bluster. Samantha would take the initiative by drawing close, then jumping.   
  
    As she crouched to jump, she raised one leg to snap forward in a quick kick, then followed up with the other leg. The jump had only lasted a second at most; the lightning-fast piston kicks of the bunny were their greatest defense. In her imagination, the attack had caught the fox in the chest and the chin, snapping her head upwards.   
  
    Waste no movement! Samantha warned herself. As she crouched to absorb the landing of the jump, she straightened diagonally forward and thrust both paws into either the solar plexus or the kidneys of the phantom fox. She would be immobilized by pain; this was the perfect time to attempt a sweep. Samantha snapped her leg out for the sweep.  
  
    "Too high...!" She chastised herself. That kick would have landed on the thigh, giving her attacker a chance to recover. She tried again, aiming lower, for the back of the knee or the ankle. Samantha was still working on the sweep and translating it into the movement for the finishing blow. Now, her imaginary adversary laying prone, it was time.  
  
    "Hraagh!" Samantha shouted, bringing her heel up and thrusting it downwards, heel first, into where the fox's head should be. Samantha almost drove her heel into the floor of the gym; that would have hurt. Her vicious axe kick would be the decisive strike, leaving her attempted assaulter with a fractured skull or worse. Samantha started to smirk at the thought, but then shook her head. No, she hadn't won that round. Her first sweep was sloppy.   
  
    There would be no second chances in a real fight. She was tiring though, and her muscles ached. She headed for the gymnasium's showers.  
  
    Though communal showers among siblings were common in bunny society, Samantha now preferred to use the ones at the gym, merely for the extra privacy afforded. She quickly decided she didn't want anyone else to see her scars. She didn't want anyone to know of her shame and failure. She undressed for the shower and turned the water on. Looking down at herself, she still looked completely normal. It was only the back that had been marked. Scars she knew were there but couldn't see without aid. She knew the effect on her mood and face was far more visible.  
  
    Samantha heard shuffling behind her. She gasped tersely and her ears perked. She quickly pat them back down so as not to get water in her ears and assumed an attack pose. Now wasn't the time for modesty if someone had followed her into the showers.  
  
    "Who's there!?" Samantha barked loudly.  
  
    "It's me," came the calm voice of Violet, Samantha's sister. The naked gray-and-white bunny walked closer, squinting, as she was near-sighted. She was nearly as tall as Samantha, already a tall Hopps girl. Violet looked a little winded.   
  
    "Well, what are you  _doing_ here?" Samantha demanded. She dropped her offensive posture, and instead just tried to keep her back out of Violet's sight.  
  
    "Getting a shower, as I'm assuming you are," Violet said blankly.   
  
    "Okay, no need to be a smart-buns," Samantha blurted in annoyance, "there are other showers."  
  
    "I just got done running a couple miles," Violet explained. "I like to keep both my mind and body sharp, in case you forgot or didn't care. This shower was the closest one available."  
  
    "Mm," Samantha grunted in discomfort, and continued to shower. She wondered if Violet had seen her scars, or if her poor eyesight obscured them from her. She was quickly getting frustrated with Violet's presence, almost maddened by the lack of conversation.  
  
    "You seem tense," Violet understated.  
  
    "Well, aren't you going to ask me what the scars are about?" Samantha sneered.  
  
    "No," Violet shrugged. "I would guess there's a reason why you haven't ventured that information."  
  
    Samantha growled in aggravation. "And when have you  _ever_ left it at that? I know you're the collector of almost every secret here in this household! Why would you let something like this go?"  
  
    "No, you misunderstand," Violet held up a paw. "I don't go  _looking_ for information, it's just when it finds me, that-"  
  
    "I was raped, okay?" Samantha exploded, throwing both arms out. "There!"  
  
    "-I start worrying about it obsessively," Violet finished. "Well, now I know."  
  
    Samantha flinched. "Ugh."  
  
    "That explains a lot of things, such as the changes in your demeanor," Violet frowned. "I'm sorry."  
  
    "I can't believe I said that," Samantha rubbed her forehead, drooping it. "Of all bunnies to tell, you...?"  
  
    "It's true I'm not the most empathetic of our brothers and sisters," Violet noted. "That would be Timothy. But I worry about Timothy. His feelings are probably going to get crushed one day. I worry about a lot of us. Judy especially. She's headed to Zootopia in just a week. And now... now I'll be worrying about you, too."  
  
    "Egh, if only I'd kept my mouth shut," Samantha grumbled, looking away.  
  
    "I'm the Hopps Family Organizer, Sam," Violet said, shrugging her shoulders. "It's my job to worry about things. With this new information about you, I'll be sure not to place you in any activities you'd find objectionable."  
  
    "I just..." Samantha looked at Violet helplessly. "Do you have to be so... I dunno, practical about it?"  
  
    "That's what I do," Violet wrinkled her nose. "You're my sister and my litter-mate. I will care for you as best I can, in my own way."  
  
    "Thanks, I guess," Samantha's shoulders hung forward slightly. "Honestly, I felt like it was kind of a burden with only mom and dad knowing."  
  
    "I will not tell anyone else unless I have your explicit approval," Violet promised, holding a paw up.  
  
    "Terms and conditions apply?" Samantha muttered, trying to match the tone of Violet's voice. "Batteries not included?"  
  
    Violet frowned. "I'm sorry, this is just how I talk. However, it's nice to know your sense of humor hasn't been completely obliterated." She blinked, considering her words; her head tilting. She huffed. "Mm, you see? I just can't help myself."  
  
    Samantha chuckled briefly, fighting a smile. "I dunno, I'm just feeling a kind of... release, I guess. From telling someone else."  
  
    "Understandable," Violet nodded tersely.  
  
    The two finished showering and dried off in silence, putting on fresh clothes. Samantha looked a bit wary at the new bond she'd forged nearly at random with Violet. She knew of all people, Violet would be unlikely to betray her trust, and she might even help her, in some unknowable way. She knew Violet did worry about every little thing. Samantha wondered if she should have given her something so big to worry about or not.  
  
    The two walked through the gym, when Violet gently placed her paw on Samantha's shoulder, stopping her.  
  
    "Would you like a hug?" Violet asked.  
  
    "...You're not a huggy person," Samantha protested.  
  
    "This is true," Violet looked off to the side and nodded once. "...Would you like one, though?"  
  
    Samantha hesitated, then nodded rapidly, biting her lip. "Please?"  
  
    The two embraced, Samantha holding close to her sister. Violet hugged back, letting her hug as tightly and as long as she needed, which were very tight, and very long, respectively. Samantha released the hug just as Violet was starting to get quite uncomfortable.  
  
    "Thank you, Vi," Samantha said. "I needed that."  
  
    "Of course," Violet adjusted her glasses, suddenly looking very proper, closing her eyes and tilting her head back and forth. "I will help in whatever way I can."  
  
    "You're pretty weird, Violet," Samantha chuckled, a welling of emotion catching in her throat.  
  
    "Mm, so I am," Violet nodded diagonally, and the two walked out of the gym.  
  


* * *

  
    A week later, Samantha heard a knock on her bedroom door.  
  
    "Who is it?" Samantha asked, setting her phone down on her desk.  
  
    "Violet," her sister responded.  
  
    Samantha unlocked her door and opened it. Part of her felt guilty for locking her door in her own home, but she was getting a little tired of deflecting questions from the younger kits.  
  
    "You ready to go?" Violet asked, holding her arms out palm up.  
  
    "Go... where?" Samantha replied.  
  
    "To see Judy off," Violet said. "If you'd like to do that."  
  
    "Oh, of course!" Samantha nodded, mentally kicking herself. "I almost forgot she was leaving today."   
  
    "A few groups have already left," Violet explained. "Figured I'd ask you."  
  
    "Yes, yes, just let me get a more presentable shirt on," Samantha shut the door and found a non-lounging shirt that covered her scars a bit better. She opened the door. "Okay, ready."  
  
    "What do you think about Judy?" Violet asked Samanatha as the two were driving. Other than that, it had been very quiet.  
  
    "I'm proud of her," Samantha nodded. "I just wonder... you know, if a bunny can make a difference."  
  
    "I thought it was kind of strange that she was selected, to be perfectly honest," Violet admitted. "I mean, to take nothing away from Judy. She's driven and spirited. But... looking into the Mammal Inclusion Initiative, it seems very political, you know? Like the mayor of Zootopia is trying to curry favor with the prey voters."  
  
    "You worry Judy is being used like a political tool, then?" Samantha rested her head on a paw.  
  
    Violet sighed. "I worry about a lot of things."  
  
    Samantha looked down at her feet. "There's foxes in Zootopia."  
  
    Violet looked suddenly alarmed. "It was Mer-?" She caught herself, putting a paw in front of her mouth. Samantha nodded in affirmation. "Really..."  
  
    "I thought you would have known, smarty-tail," Samantha scoffed.  
  
    "No, I couldn't have guessed from how she acted around you," Violet looked apologetic. "Or else I definitely would have warned you."  
  
    "She really fooled us, then..." Samantha sighed shakily.  
  
    "It takes an especially evil person to be able to suppress their darkest secrets," Violet frowned. "Social disorders... the ability to twist atrocities until they seem normal." Violet gave an unsteady breath, shivering.  
  
    "I'm glad I can talk to you about these things..." Samantha admitted. "I'd feel like an idiot if somehow others could see... what she was up to." Violet shook her head. "Foxes are like that, I guess. Their ability to hide things."  
  
    "It's not exclusive to foxes," Violet shrugged. "Ah, we're getting close."  
  
    The two pulled up to the Bunnyburrow train station. A large cloud of bunnies, mostly all Hopps, congregated around the platform. Violet and Samantha could barely hear Judy, their younger, gray-and-white furred sister, or her parents out in front, but they could hear them talking, their ears perked up and twitched to listen.  
  
    "-And foxes are the _worst_ ," Stu proclaimed.  
  
    "No argument there," Samantha muttered. Violet frowned.  
  
    "He- actually your father does have a point there," Bonnie agreed. "It's in their biology! Remember what happened with Gideon Grey?" Samantha continued to listen with interest.  
  
    "When I was _nine_ ," Judy replied. "Gideon Grey was a jerk who  _happened_ to be a fox. I know plenty of bunnies who are jerks."  
  
    "Uh, sure! Yeah, absolutely, we all do," Stu swiped a paw through the air, picking up an unassuming bunny face-shaped bag. "But just in case... we've made you a little care package to take with you."  
  
    "Mmhm!" Bonnie leaned her head in. "And I put some snacks in there...!"  
  
    "This is fox deterrent," Stu held out a large air horn.   
  
    "Yeah, that's safe to have..." Bonnie agreed, while Judy shook her head.   
  
    "This is fox repellent," Stu held out a pepper spray.  
  
    "Okay, the deterrent and the repellent, that's all she needs-" Bonnie said quickly.  
  
    "Check  _this_ out!" Stu pulled out a taser and ignited it with childlike glee. Judy flinched.  
  
    "Oh for goodness sake!" Bonnie scolded. "She has no need for a fox taser!"  
  
    "Oh come on, when is there  _not_ a need for a fox taser!?" Stu retorted.  
  
    Exasperated, Judy reached into the bag and picked out the repellent. "Okay, look! I will take this! To make you stop talking!"  
  
    "Terrific!" Stu barked, looking elated. "Everyone wins!" Bonnie nodded diagonally.   
  
    "If she's not going to take the taser, maybe dad will let me have it," Samantha said.  
  
    "Just keep that sense of humor alive," Violet said dryly.  
  
    "I wasn't really joking," Samantha added. A loud horn sounded, and the train arrived.  
  
    "Okay! Gotta go, _bye_!" Judy waved, grabbing her suitcase and quickly fleeing into the train. Many smaller bunnies started saying their farewells. Violet and Samantha both tried to get closer to see what was going on, but unexpectedly, Judy rushed back out to give her parents a hug and kisses on the cheeks. "Mmh, I love you guys!"  
  
    "Love you too," Bonnie said gently.  
  
    "Oh cripes, here come the waterworks," Stu said unsteadily, starting to cry.  
  
    "Oh, Stu. Pull it together!" Bonnie grumbled.  
  
    "Bye everybody!" Judy shouted enthusiastically, waving from within the train. The crowd of bunnies erupted into cheers and farewells. Violet thought she even saw her great-grandfather Otto crack a smile and wave.  
  
    "Bye, Judy! I love you!" their younger light-gray and white sister Jenny's voice was loud enough to be heard over the crowd. "Bye! Bye!" She started running after the train as it pulled away.  
  
    Then, Judy was gone. Headed off into Zootopia.  
  
    "Well, there she goes," Violet observed.  
  
    "Hope she'll be okay," Samantha looked after the retreating train.  
  
    "Hope she likes the iPawd full of music we put together for her," Timothy, a gray and light gray litter-mate of Samantha's rubbed at his chin.  
  
    "Tch, I bet she's listening to 'Try Everything' right now," Ivory, the one albino Hopps, rolled her eyes. "C'mon, let's go home."  
  
    "What was it she used to say, Violet?" Samantha walked toward Violet's truck. "She wanted to make the world a better place?"  
  
    "She still says it," Violet huffed in amusement.   
  
    "...What do you think the chances are?" Samantha wondered.  
  
    "I really can't say, Sam," Violet shrugged. "Too many variables."  
  
    "Nice to know you don't claim to know everything," Samantha said offhandedly.  
  
    "I bleed humility," Violet mumbled sarcastically as the two prepared to go home.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Content may contain references to some objectionable material for some viewers. Figured it might be prudent to use a catch-all here.

    The greater city of Bunnyburrow was only slightly less rural than the sprawling meadows and farms that comprised the rest of it, but there were things one could always count on in any sort of civilization. Things like Snarlbucks, a franchise that had spread like a pandemic across the country. Samantha headed to one such Bunnyburrow Snarlbucks one day, picking up an iced coffee and sitting down at one of the tables outside. She sat with her back to the store so no one could sneak up on her.  
  
    No one including Liam Halhoun, who she had arranged to meet. The coyote had nice steel-blue eyes, but now that he wasn't on the job, Samantha noticed a kind of tiredness in them that seemed perhaps a decade or so beyond his age. Liam had gotten himself a coffee and a pastry and sat down next to her, holding his paw up briefly in greeting.  
  
    "Hello, Detective Halhoun," Samantha greeted politely.  
  
    "You can call me Liam if you'd like," Liam said, then looked down and back up, "or Detective Halhoun works. Whatever's good."  
  
    "I guess Liam will do," Samantha tried a small smile. "I don't want to be too nitpicky."  
  
    "To be honest I'm kind of surprised you  _did_ want to meet me," Liam held his shoulders up, then let them fall. "I'm a dog, after all."  
  
    Samantha's brow furrowed. "Oh, don't call yourself that. You're not a fox, anyway."  
  
    "Yeah, but still a member of the same-" Liam's voice broke off by the wind shifting a little, carrying Samantha's scent to him. "Hm... uh, maybe this isn't such a good idea after all?"  
  
    Samantha looked bewildered for a moment, then sighed as her scent betrayed her yet again. "No, it's fine. It's just normal skittish bunny stuff. I wanted to meet you, and here I am."   
  
    "Okay... if you're sure," Liam had an eyebrow perked up skeptically.  
  
    "I just don't have too many people to talk with about this kind of thing," Samantha said, looking off to the side.  
  
    "No, no you're right, of course," Liam shook his head firmly. "Talk away. How have things been going?"  
  
    "Honestly? Not great," Samantha still stared off into the distance. "I lost my job."  
  
    "Ugh..." Liam muttered. "Time-waster, or dream job?"  
  
    "Dream job," Samantha sighed. "Third-grade teacher."  
  
    "Mm..." Liam searched the table with his eyes. "Just couldn't handle the day-to-day, or...?"  
  
    "Oh, if only," Samantha barked a small, scornful laugh. "No, I ended up going off on a fox kit who was throwing colored pencils at me. Called him a stupid dog and that he better sit down and behave or so help me and yadda yadda..."  
  
    "Uh, ouch," Liam scrunched his muzzle.  
  
    "Yeah, it was a stupid mistake," Samantha shook her head. "I was on edge that day, and the kit was really trying to get on my nerves. Unfortunately you only have to make one mistake like that."  
  
    "Mm, I'm sorry," Liam muttered. "Are you getting by?"  
  
    "Oh yeah, I'm with my family for now, just trying to build myself up," Samantha nodded, her ears perking back up. "I haven't told too many people, but my parents know of course, and I accidentally told one of my litter-mates, and she's been helpful."  
  
    "Good, good, that's good," Liam sat back, wiggling a forefinger at Samantha. "Don't isolate yourself, whatever you do. Seek out companionship with your family. That's good." Something in how he said that sparked Samantha's curiosity.  
  
    "Liam, why did you decide to become part of the Bunnyburrow Special Victims Unit, anyway?" Samantha tilted her head. Liam's pupils shrank and he set down his coffee.  
  
    "Uh, okay," Liam blinked twice. "That certainly is a question." He turned his head to the side, looking pensive. "Before I answer that, though, I have another question for you."  
  
    "Okay?" Samantha nodded.  
  
    "When you called for help that night the vixen was texting you," Liam said. "Why did you choose to call me? First of all, I'm a canid. And Karma knows my partner Tabitha is a more empathetic person. She could have..." Liam trailed off, looking over Samantha.  
  
    "When I was telling you what happened in the hospital," Samantha said, "I saw... something like anger in your eyes. I found solidarity in that anger. I... that's about it, really. I could tell something about you burned and seethed. I wanted you to get her."  
  
    "Believe me, I wanted to tear her apart," Liam muttered, "but unfortunately she wasn't quite dumb enough to take on a coyote larger than her. She ran though, and Tabitha got a good headbutt in. I think one of her horns nicked the vixen's arm. That's about all we got."  
  
    "Good enough, I guess," Samantha shrugged.  
  
    "But I guess I can tell you my story," Liam sighed. "I hope- I dunno if it will help, but I'll tell it." Samantha waited patiently. Liam seemed to gather his thoughts and looked up at the sky.  
  
    "I guess this is where I'd say 'you don't have to tell it if you don't want to', if I was being considerate," Samantha said dryly.  
  
    "No no, you wanted a story, you'll get it," Liam held up a paw, then dropped it and drummed his fingers on the table. "I actually didn't know what I wanted to be, growing up. All the way until high school. I had a fairly uncomplicated, comfortable life, for a predator in Bunnyburrow anyway. Then, on my eighteenth birthday, things changed. A transfer student from Greener Pastures, a sheep, moved in."  
  
    "I felt it was like a birthday present, almost," Liam smiled with a hint of embarrassment. "That sheep, Carla Woolruff... she was something else. Smart and funny, especially from somewhere that's arguably more rural than Bunnyburrow, and with even fewer predators. Imagine my surprise when she was sweet on me, too. Don't quite know what she saw in me, but something!" He laughed lightly.  
  
    "Huh, really...?" Samantha seemed invested. "You and a prey?"  
  
    "Yup," Liam nodded. "Course, I got teased about it. Got called 'sheepdog' and the whole nine. It was okay though; I could deal with it. I was young, yeah, but I was already starting to think of what a future with her might be like."  
  
    Samantha winced as she knew a caveat was looming.   
  
    "There was a wolf, Branford," Liam frowned. "Don't know what his motive was. Humiliating her? Me? Both of us? He had his way with her one night." Samantha felt her stomach turn. "Carla was broken up about it, and I was livid. I couldn't believe he had done that to her. And even though he was bigger and tougher than me, I was determined to make him pay."  
  
    "There's this thing in canid culture, especially with wolves," Liam continued, gesturing forward with his hands. "Like a pack thing. The 'alpha', you might have heard. Sometimes drives testosterone-driven male canids to do stupid things to make them seem like they're the 'big dog'. Well, I was going to challenge Branford for that 'title'. I challenged him to a fight, and I was going to beat him so badly that at the very least his pride would be obliterated, if not the rest of him."  
  
    Samantha nodded silently, continuing to listen.  
  
    Liam took in a breath slowly and let it out even slower. "The doctors said that it was a miracle I didn't take any lasting damage. But I did. I lost the fight, and in doing so I couldn't get any sort of revenge for the sake of my beloved Carla and her honor. Worse yet... I... well, I may have even emboldened Branford somehow."  
  
    "Emboldened?" Samantha blinked.  
  
    "He tried again," Liam grit his teeth, one of his fists balling up. "Even more brazenly, he went to her _house_." Samantha mouthed "no". "But, Mr. Woolruff was home, and he knew what had happened to Carla, and he's one of those rams with _horns_... so..." Liam paused, taking a sip of coffee. "Branford was pulverized. He died in the hospital, and Bunnyburrow being what it is, Mr. Woolruff didn't even get charged with anything, as he was just defending his property."  
  
    "Good," Samantha responded succinctly.  
  
    "Exactly what I said," Liam nodded. "I thought... hoped... that would be the end of it. I thought it might take some time, but that I could bring Carla back out of it. But she didn't want to be with me. I begged her, anything I could do or say to help with the healing process. But she just- she wouldn't have me."  
  
    "Liam..." Samantha felt her heart aching.   
  
    "I thought she just needed some time," Liam shook his head, both of his fists clenched. "I thought the right thing to do would be to let her alone. But she... Carla... she ended up..." Liam's breaths started coming quicker. "She ended up..." He choked a bit, letting loose a small whine. His head drooped and he put a paw on his forehead.  
  
    "You don't have to say it," Samantha frowned.  
  
    "It's been so long and I still can't get through that story," Liam said unsteadily, his breaths huffing. "I felt like a failure. I couldn't defend Carla physically  _or_ emotionally. I had never felt so weak and helpless. If I could have done one thing right, Carla might still- ghn..." Liam threw his head off to the side. Samantha barely detected tears welling up in his eyes.  
  
    "So you've- you've been paying for it ever since," Samantha said.  
  
    "I knew the debt I had created," Liam sneered with sudden anger. Probably at himself, Samantha reasoned.   
  
    "So that's why you're with the Bunnyburrow SVU now?" Samantha asked.  
  
    "Yes; they couldn't hire me fast enough," Liam absently shrugged his shoulders, heavily blinking away his forming tears. "A predator with an able nose... their only other sniffer was a hog pushing fifty, and he wasn't that fast."  
  
    Samantha nodded. "This job is like a punishment for you, though..."  
  
    "Not exactly," Liam narrowed an eye. "Every time I take down some scum pred who thinks they can have their way with a prey, it gives me a little bit of joy. Like I'm repaying that debt I owe."  
  
    "You're driven by vengeance," Samantha nodded. She wasn't accusing, only noting.  
  
    "Tabitha says she doesn't know why they keep me on the force sometimes," Liam chuckled bitterly. "I do, though. They know they need someone who's driven and devoted to the grim work we do."  
  
    "Have you ever loved again?" Samantha wondered.  
  
    "No- uh, yes," Liam's eyes became shifty. "I uhm... I have a coyote kind of nipping at my heels. She's attractive and fun to be around, and- uh, well, I'm engaged to her actually. Her name's Mica."  
  
    "Oh!" Samantha brightened a shade. "Well, congratulations then." Her eyes narrowed. "You do love her, right?"  
  
    "I'm attracted to her, yes, and she does really get me going," Liam nodded. "But I've... I've only really  _love_ loved Carla. It's such a weird, selfish thing to say."  
  
    "I wish we could choose what we loved," Samantha sucked at her teeth. "I would have turned down predators a long time ago."  
  
    "And I prey," Liam scoffed. "But I don't think I could be with a prey anymore, no offense. They'd just- I'd just be reminded of Carla, compare them to her. It wouldn't be fair."  
  
    "I understand," Samantha nodded.   
  
    "I hope uh- that doesn't disappoint you?" Liam blinked.  
  
    "No no, I get it," Samantha shrugged. "I'd be lying if I said you were unattractive, but a bunny can look, I guess." She frowned, looking at the table. "I... don't think I'm ready for a relationship, either."  
  
    "Right, right," Liam nodded rapidly. "Take your time, if anything. Just, if there's a moral to my story, it's... reach out, if you feel you need help. Please."  
  
    "I'll try," Samantha sighed, but gave one nod. She smirked a little. "Predators will be doing okay down the line if there are some pups running around with your genes."  
  
    "That's uh, quite a compliment," Liam laughed nervously, scratching under his chin. He then grit his teeth. "Please don't give up hope, Samantha. Something good can always happen if you just let it."  
  
    Samantha smiled faintly. "It's good to see that you can still look for the rays of sunlight in a cloudy sky. You've been hurt badly just like I have, but..."  
  
    "Hey, don't you worry about me," Liam pat at his chest, standing up. "Look at me. I don't look terrible; still in good health. Got a wife-to-be. Who knows, maybe a couple pups down the line or more, like you said." He held out his hand and balled it up into a fist. "And the job... the world needs people like me. I'm a champion of the weak and the betrayed."  
  
    "You are," Samantha nodded, but frowned. "The only problem is, the world doesn't care how it  _gets_ those champions."  
  
    Liam looked a bit taken aback by such a statement, but nodded. "You're right. It doesn't."  
  
    "If you're engaged, I probably shouldn't see you again, huh?" Samantha smirked. "Just to not cause trouble or anything."  
  
    Liam held out his hands, then dropped them. "I- uh, to be honest I don't think of you that way. I don't know if I'll be able to make a true connection with a prey again. _But_... maybe it would be for the better that we didn't."  
  
    Samantha nodded.  
  
    "Unless!" Liam held up a finger. "Unless you need someone to talk to again. Then, by all means. I'll bring Mica, we could all do something, and..."  
  
    "Just live your life, Liam," Samantha said. "I've got my family; I'll be okay."  
  
    "If you're sure," Liam hesitated, looking like he would sit down again.  
  
    "I promise not to do anything rash," Samantha sighed. "And, I promise to call if I'm in a bad way. If not you, someone else. Bunnies have big families, after all."  
  
    "Good... good," Liam sighed. "Then maybe it was good we came to meet after all."  
  
    Samantha stood up. "How many prey have you saved or avenged?"  
  
    "Twenty-three, including you," Liam said without hesitation.  
  
    "Do you think you'll ever forgive yourself?" Samantha asked, causing Liam to flinch.  
  
    "Ugh, you sure know how to ask piercing questions," Liam muttered. "I... don't know. I don't know if I will forgive myself. If I do, I might lose my edge; the edge I need to slice through the scum of this otherwise clean, pristine place." Liam looked off to the sky.  
  
    "That's pretty heavy," Samantha mused.  
  
    "I can be an arbiter of Karma," Liam shook his fist. "I can be- wow, I just noticed I'm flying more and more off the rails with this overzealous stuff. Anyway." Liam tossed his empty coffee cup away, and Samantha followed suit. "You have a good day, okay?"  
  
    "Maybe one day," Samantha smirked.  
  
    "No, definitely one day," Liam shook his finger.   
  
    "Only if you promise to do the same," Samantha said with almost a warning voice, offering her paw. Liam hesitated, then shook it softly.  
  
    "Yeah, deal."


	7. Chapter 7

    Samantha sat down on her bed inside her room, inwardly seething. She rubbed her legs with her hands, trying to calm down.  
  
    How cruel the Celestials had been, if they were real at all, she thought.   
  
    There was a fox in her home. And of all bunnies,  _Judy_ had brought him over. She thought Judy would know better. From the gossip in passing, Samantha heard that Judy had been on some sort of grand adventure and "saved Zootopia", whatever that meant. On the way, she had partnered up with a fox.  
  
    Of course it had to be a fox. A red fox, even.  
  
    The worst part was, it seemed like the fox was  _welcome_ there. Samantha sighed. She knew the best solution would be to lay low until he went away. It couldn't be too many more days. The fox had just become a police officer and assigned to be Judy's partner. Judy must have proudly brought him home to "celebrate", Samantha guessed.  
  
    Fools, all of them. Couldn't they see what was going on?  
  
    Samantha's ears perked as a particular knock sounded on her door. Three taps, a pause, one knock, pause again, three more taps. Violet had come up with her own knock for Samantha to identify herself immediately. Samantha rolled off her bed and grumbled.  
  
    "What is it, Vi?" Samantha droned out.  
  
    "Hungry? I brought some dinner," Violet stood outside her door, carrying a fresh salad made from the Hopps' own produce.  
  
    Samantha opened her door. "A little." Violet hesitated, then walked inside, handing her the salad.  
  
    "While I'm here, maybe we could talk about your attitude a little, too," Violet said in an even voice. Samantha looked at her skeptically as she began to eat.  
  
    "You want me to apologize for-" Samantha started.  
  
    "No, I wanted to commend you, actually," Violet said, adjusting her glasses. "By your holing up here while Nick Wilde is over, you've managed to not let your hatred for foxes poison the other members of the Hopps clan, and they've been able to take Nick how they see him. Commendable."  
  
    "...Believe me, that was  _not_ my intention," Samantha said darkly, looking at Violet dangerously.   
  
    "Ah, well then," Violet motioned at Samantha's door. "There you go then. If you want to do some real damage to him, now's your chance. You can tell the rest of our siblings what a fox did to you and-"  
  
    "Violet, shut up," Samantha sneered. "I'm not going to do that."  
  
    "You're better than that," Violet nodded.  
  
    "No, I'm not 'better than that'," Samantha growled. She pointed her fork at her sister. "I just can't believe how you, and mom and dad have  _betrayed_ me like this! Have you forgotten what happened to me? How can we let this fox into our home, much less be so  _accommodating_ to him?"  
  
    "You see it as a betrayal? That we are trying to get to know Nick and see if he's okay to be around Judy?" Violet folded her arms.  
  
    "How _could he be_?" Samantha shouted. "He's a predator! A fox!"  
  
    "Don't tell me you're going to put  _all_ predators under one umbrella now," Violet said scornfully.  
  
    "It's in their name! Predator!" Samantha yelled. "They're all- they're all _hunters_. That's what I realized. It's what they _do_! They _hunt_!"  
  
    "Didn't you tell me that a predator helped catch-" Violet started.  
  
    "Still a hunter," Samantha said, though her voice started to sound less resolute. "I mean, some preds might hunt for- Liam's a noble hunter, but a hunter nonetheless. They're all hunting for  _something_. So we've just got to ask ourselves, what's  _that_ fox hunting? Huh? Our sister?"  
  
    "Do you take me for a complete idiot, Samantha?" Violet was starting to seem annoyed, which was rare for her. "What do you think the first thing I did was when I heard our sister was associating with a fox? Especially after I knew what happened to you?"  
  
    "You... uh..." Samantha was taken aback.  
  
    "I dug into every scrap of information I could find about that fox. Nicholas Piberius Wilde," Violet rattled off. "Using my admittedly scant Zootopia network, I still uncovered a  _lot_ about him and his past. He's been a hustler for twenty years."  
  
    " _See_!?" Samantha exploded, gesturing wildly at her with her arm, then outward to the wall. "See!? What more do we need to-"  
  
    "A hustler that nonetheless has managed to change his life course around enough to become a police officer," Violet explained. "His actions were of dubious legality, but they weren't _criminal_."  
  
    "That's just- maybe you just didn't find any of the really bad stuff he did," Samantha protested.  
  
    "Oh no, I did," Violet nodded. "He worked for Mr. Big, a notorious crime boss in Tundratown. Though even then, he didn't do anything you could call 'criminal'."  
  
    "I can't believe this; I must be dreaming!" Samantha raved. "How can you be on _this fox's side_?"  
  
    "I'll tell you why," Violet nodded, adjusting her glasses again. "I sat down with Nick for over an hour and interrogated him on every piece of information I found. He didn't refute or try to excuse a single one. He explained his actions and what led up to them, and what he intended to do next. He never got frustrated or impatient with me."  
  
    "Oh, and that impressed you, huh?" Samantha sneered, setting down the remnants of her salad, no longer feeling hungry.  
  
    "Yeah, a little," Violet shrugged. "Did Meredith ever appreciate you digging into her past and trying to ask questions?"  
  
    "She... always had some sort of slick answer," Samantha twisted her nose. "I figured something bad must have happened to her. Not that... well, you know."  
  
    "There you go, then," Violet shrugged.  
  
    "That doesn't change anything!" Samantha insisted, holding an arm palm-up straight up. "He could have had months; years of time to prepare for answering a barrage of questions like that!"  
  
    "You can think what you'd like, Sam, and I won't hold it against you," Violet said. "Though, I'll thank you if you don't approach Judy about it. She's the happiest I've ever seen her. She's showing him around like they're at a theme park. I guess he's never seen a bunny abode before."  
  
    "The smart ones keep the foxes out," Samantha muttered. "But whatever, I won't talk to Judy about it."  
  
    "Thanks," Violet said. "If you need to talk when he's gone, I'm here."  
  
    "All right," Samantha said as Violet left her, shutting the door softly behind her.  
  
    Samantha looked at her dresser, and at the salad atop it. She balled her fists.  
  


* * *

  
    It was a calm evening; the wind was almost still. The fox was out there, alone. Samantha knew this because she'd just gotten word from her father that he and the fox had a little heart-to-heart, and he had just left him.  
  
    Now was her chance. She moved briskly, following the slight scent common to foxes. It was weaker than she was used to, because the tod actually thought to wear scent blocker, but the blocker was weakening, and he smelled like a fox, and like a male. That violet-like scent that had been twisted in her brain; that she hated in her mind. Her body still liked it, though. Another traitor.  
  
    Samantha's breath caught a bit as she saw the fox smiling peacefully against a tree, seated and relaxing. Samantha sneered, and started to close in, though her instincts burned for her to run. It was light enough outside because of the nearly full gibbous moon that she could see him. Green eyes, tie, really ugly shirt. She had no intention of sneaking up on him, but it still surprised her how quickly the fox had noticed her.  
  
    "Hello," the fox said. He looked her over. "Don't believe we've met. Or have we? I'm sorry; it's just I've been introduced to so many bunnies over the past couple days that I'm still trying to-"  
  
    "I'm Samantha Hopps," she said. "I  _loathe_ your kind."  
  
    "Nick Wilde," he said pleasantly. "Glad we got that out of the way, then. I'll be sure to leave you be."  
  
    "It's... it's not going to be that simple," Samantha said, planting her feet firmly and trying to steel herself. She shot a finger out accusingly at Nick. "You better not- you will regret it if you do anything to hurt Judy. If you even  _look_ at her funny... we'll hear about it, and I'll-..." Her finger was shaking a little, so she withdrew it.  
  
    "A threat, huh? Hmm," Nick nodded, smirking and sighing. He scratched at his chin. "Ah well, nice to know Judy has lots of siblings that care about her."  
  
    "Would you wipe that simper off your face and talk like a proper mammal!?" Samantha took a step forward, and to her surprise, Nick shuffled  _backward_ a little from his seated position.  
  
    "Simper?" Nick blinked blithely. "Kind of a rarer word for a common bigot." Samantha could only flash her teeth in anger, her breathing quickening. Nick's eyes widened as he caught her scent, and his expression changed. He held up his arms defensively. "Whoa, okay. Let's take it easy."  
  
    "Idiot! What do you think you know?" Samantha spat acidly. "Just because you smell that I'm scared, or... or what?"  
  
    "That, and some of 'or what'," Nick said carefully. "Who... did someone hurt you, Samantha?"  
  
    Samantha looked shocked, then angry. "That's not- that's not something you can just  _ask_ me!"  
  
    "Okay then," Nick frowned. "Let me start by saying that any rumors you may have heard about me are all completely true. I'm definitely not the prime specimen for foxes. I'm trying to do better; I'm trying to  _be_ better."  
  
    "You foxes... you'll just say  _anything_ to get what you want," Samantha ground her teeth as she growled out the words. "You'll just lie and sneak and betray and-"  
  
    "What is it you think I want?" Nick's expression evened up.  
  
    "Judy, of course!" Samantha accused. "How could it be anything else?" Nick looked very slightly surprised. "That's it, isn't it? You just want to get with my sister! And you've gone so far as to spend God only knows _how long_ preparing yourself to get closer to her! Haven't you? All you want is my sister, isn't it!?"  
  
    Nick carefully turned his muzzle, keeping his eye on her. His voice was wary. "That's not something you can just ask _me_."  
  
    "Oh, looks like I've got somewhere, huh?" Samantha's voice became a bit wild. "You gonna snap at me now?" Samantha's stance spread and her legs bent in preparation for action.  
  
    "I think you should leave, Samantha," Nick said firmly.  
  
    "What!?" Samantha was incredulous. "You're telling  _me_ to leave when  _you're_ the one invading our home!? What gives  _you_ the right to-"  
  
    "Just go, before this goes any farther," Nick said with eerie calmness.   
      
    " _You go_!" Samantha shouted, furious. "Get  _out_ of here!"  
  
    "I'm not going to make any sudden movements," Nick explained meticulously. "Because I'm sure that's something like a knife in your pocket, and I  _know_ you're not happy to see me." Samantha gasped, again feeling opened up. "So, maybe you should go first, huh?"  
  
    "You want me to _go first_ , huh?" Samantha felt her fingers twitch.  
  
    "Yeah, I can do risk analysis as well as I can read people," Nick muttered. "Twenty years on the streets will do that to a mammal. So, come at me if you want. I'm not sure what's going to happen next, but I'll try not to hurt you."  
  
    Samantha choked out a small yell. "Idiot! Deceiver! You foxes and your- your _lies_! You hurt anyone you touch!" Nick stayed silent.  
  
    "A fox hurt you, huh?" Nick frowned. "I'm sorry."  
  
    "Sh-shut up!" Samantha backed up a few steps, drawing her karambit. She saw his muscles tense, but he made no telling movements. She backed up a few more steps, waving the weapon with her arm held out straight. It was poor, sloppy form. She wasn't thinking clearly. The knife should be held closer to her body to minimize risk of disarming. "If you... if you hurt my sister... I'll kill you. I'll _kill you_! I'll split your  _skull_ with my _heel_!"  
  
    Samantha was trying so hard not to snivel that hot tears were falling of their own accord from her eyes and straight down onto the ground.  
  
    "You won't have to kill me, Samantha," Nick said. "I won't hurt Judy."  
  
    "That's what- that's what foxes _say_..." Samantha mumbled, shrugging, the karambit still pointed at Nick in his general direction. "That's what you _say_... and then..."   
  
    A moment of incredibly uncomfortable silence passed.  
  
    Samantha knew this couldn't go on. She made a whimpering sound, then dropped her karambit on the ground. Nick still didn't move.  
  
    "I'm going to get up now," Nick said. Samantha nodded, continuing to whimper. "I'm so sorry for what's happened to you." Nick got up very slowly. "Would it help if you hit me?"  
  
    " _Hit_ you...?" Samantha blinked some tears away, wiping her eyes and nose.  
  
    Nick pat his chest and stomach and held his arms out wide. "Well, I'm not going to ask for a hug. One punch, on me? I'll draw the line at a kick or a stab, though." Nick barely smirked.  
  
    "...I'm not going to hit you," Samantha mumbled. "Wouldn't that be assaulting a police officer?"  
  
    "I won't tell," Nick huffed. "Would it make you feel better if you hit me?"  
  
    "Yes," Samantha nodded.  
  
    "Go ahead, then," Nick encouraged. "Give me your best punch."  
  
    "No. I'm not going to," Samantha shook her head. "I'm not gonna- just... just remember what I said. If you hurt Judy..."  
  
    "Not going to happen," Nick claimed.  
  
    Samantha crouched over the karambit. "What do I do...?"  
  
    "I'd say you're doing pretty well if we both make it back into the compound without bleeding," Nick maintained his position.  
  
    "You think I'm doing well?" Samantha huffed bitterly. "I just threatened to  _kill_ you."  
  
    "I've already had nightmares of a hundred-plus bunnies descending on me with pitchforks," Nick shrugged. "Judy's lucky to have siblings that care about her so much."  
  
    Nick warily walked by the crouched bunny. She knew that  _he_ knew she could strike at any moment, yet he did it anyway.  
  
    "It's a nice karambit," Nick said. "Still looks brand new."  
  
    "I... gh... I'm not going to talk to you tonight, fox," Samantha muttered.  
  
    "Good night then, Samantha," Nick started to walk away, then turned his head. "Oh... does Judy know?"  
  
    "Know... what?" Samantha blinked. "About me...? No... she doesn't." Even saying that felt like an admission that she had wilted under the fox's reading of her.  
  
    "I won't tell her then," Nick said, walking off.   
  
    Samantha turned her head. His back was completely to the bunny. Her thoughts were swimming; she had no idea what to think, and her mouth opened slightly in bafflement.  
  
    Was the fox so completely arrogant to leave his back completely exposed? Or, was he prepared for such a violent encounter that he knew just what to say to disarm her and was confident that the threat was eliminated? It seemed improbable, but she knew foxes could get what they wanted if they said just the right things. Samantha shivered. She wished it hadn't worked so well on her, even if he just wanted peace.  
  
    Samantha looked at her karambit laying there on the ground. Even just picking it up caused the curved edge to slice a few blades of grass incidentally on its way up.   
  
    The blade had still never tasted flesh.  
  
    But Samantha suddenly had a moment of clarity. She realized that she never, ever wanted it to.


	8. Chapter 8

    Samantha let out a long, loose sigh as she tried to relax in an uncomfortable chair. Violet had collected her and several other Hopps siblings into one of the multipurpose rooms in the Hopps compound; Violet had turned it into almost a classroom. Samantha was noticing some common themes among the bunnies gathered together for this little "thing" that Violet had set up. Especially with Ivory, most of the bunnies there did not care for foxes, with the notable exception of Jill, a bunny with a rather large dewlap. Samantha didn't exactly know why  _she herself_ was there, or what Violet had hoped to accomplish by making her attend.  
  
    Violet took the head of the room, wearing a dark-colored sweater, dress and her glasses like always. Even though it was about the middle of summer, Violet nearly always wore a sweater. She also carried an extendable metal pointer, which Samantha figured she would use to highlight some graphs and charts that Violet had printed out. Samantha flinched subtly in amusement; Violet had far more the  _look_ of a stereotypical "teacher" than Samantha ever did.  
  
    Violet cleared her throat to silence the murmuring around the room.  
  
    "So, I suppose you all know why you're here," Violet declared with her chin held up. "The gossip is true; Nick Wilde and our sister Judy are now officially mates."  
  
    "Ugh," Ivory made a face. Samantha's face scrunched up a bit at the news, but she said nothing.  
  
    " _And_ , that type of attitude is why I figured we'd need to have a little chat," Violet narrowed her eyes, glaring at Ivory. She extended the pointer and indicated a pie chart. "Seventy percent of the current Hopps compound is indifferent to Nick, which is fine. Fifteen percent is in favor of him, which is good, and fifteen is opposed. You make up a lot of that fifteen percent."  
  
    "Not _me_ ," Jill ran a hand through her ears flippantly. "I  _love_ Nick."  
  
    "Indeed; a little  _too_ much," Violet tapped her pointer on her palm. "We need to respect Judy's decision to be Nick's mate, and the fact that fox culture usually has more exclusivity in being mates than bunnies are used to. So, you should back off."  
  
    "Aw, c'mon..." Jill rolled her eyes.  
  
    "We don't have to respect Nick at all!" Ivory yelled angrily. "He's a fox!"  
  
    "I didn't say you had to  _respect_ Nick," Violet pointed the pointer at Ivory, then jabbed it forward, making the albino bunny flinch even though the pointer was nowhere near her. "I said you needed to respect Judy's decision to be with him."  
  
    "What's the difference?" Ivory sneered.  
  
    "That I don't care if you avoid Nick for every second he's over here," Violet said. "I'm not naive enough to think that some of you will ever actually keep a fox's company in a positive way-" Violet's eyes swept over the room and caught briefly on Samantha's. "However, you bring shame to our family by your making him feel unwelcome."  
  
    "Judy brings shame to this family," Ivory scoffed.  
  
    "Remember the words of one of our own lapine philosophers," Violet scolded. "'If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.'"  
  
    "This is stupid," Jonathan, a brash, honey brown-colored bunny said, getting up swiftly. "We don't have to listen to you!"  
  
    "Sit down, Jonathan," Violet warned in a calm voice.  
  
    "How are you going to make me, egghead?" Jonathan taunted.  
  
    "I suppose I can't," Violet said evenly.  
  
    "That's right, because you're just the Hopps Family Organizer, and-" Jonathan started, but Violet telescoped her pointer into her paw and rushed over to Jonathan. She turned her back to him, brought him over her shoulder and hard onto the floor. There were a few gasps as Jonathan exhaled in pain. " _UGH_!"  
  
    "I can, however, put you on the ground," Violet said, whipping her pointer forward and pressing the tip against Jonathan's neck; one of her feet on his chest.  
  
    "Ghhk- hey...!" Jonathan winced. Samantha couldn't hide an amused grin.  
  
    "This 'egghead' has trained both her mind  _and_ body," Violet tilted her chin up again, adjusting her glasses with her other hand.  
  
    " _Nice_ , Vi," Bradley, a cream and brown younger teenager, clicked his teeth and pointed at Violet.  
  
    "Bradley, what are you doing here?" Violet raised an eyebrow at his sudden presence. "You like Nick."  
  
    "Yeah, I just wanted to see you give these chumps the business," Bradley closed his eyes and folded his hands behind his head. Samantha tried not to laugh, catching a giggle in her throat.  
  
    "How ridiculous!" Ivory barked. "There's no way you could beat more than a couple of us. Especially not Samantha!" Ivory nodded her head to her sister. "Go on and get her, Sam."  
  
    "Why don't you try  _your_ luck, Ivory?" Samantha said scornfully. "Unless you're worried about your face getting messed up should you ever get a job as a model again?"  
  
    "Ugh, why does everyone keep bringing that up?" Ivory retreated into her seat.  
  
    Violet moved away from Jonathan, who struggled back into his seat. "Let's make a long story short. Either try to get over yourselves when it comes to your bigotry, or do the rest of the Hopps that are  _trying_ to be open-minded a favor by leaving your opinions out of the gossip. I know for a lot of you it will be easier to do the latter, so that's all I ask. Dismissed."  
  
    Ivory sucked at her teeth. "You've got a lot of nerve, Vi."  
  
    Violet slowly looked at her. "Leave."  
  
    Ivory cowered back again and left unceremoniously. Bradley laughed, and Samantha chuckled into her paw. The bunnies started filing out of the room. Bradley offered Violet a hi-five, which at first she balked at, but then returned it with a tiny half-smile.  
  
    "Yeah!" Bradley pumped his fist. "Catch you later, Vi."  
  
    Samantha was the last one in the room with her sister. She slowly rose.  
  
    "So what was that all about, Vi?" Samantha asked. "Having me sit in on this?"  
  
    "It's common knowledge that you dislike foxes, although no one's exactly sure why," Violet shrugged. "No one but mom, dad, and I. So by inviting you here, it will quash any suspicions of my leaving you _out_ ; everyone knows you dislike foxes. It would have been suspect to leave you out of this discussion."  
  
    "Wow, you're the most paranoid bunny I know, and I know _me_ ", Samantha scoffed. "As far as people that know, though... Nick knows, too."  
  
    "Nick knows? How?" Violet seemed confused.  
  
    "He may have read it from me when I threatened him with my karambit, oh... about three years ago now?" Samantha smirked guiltily.  
  
    "Uh, well then," Violet blinked. "I hadn't heard about that."  
  
    "Don't worry about it," Samantha sighed. "We got through it alive and unharmed, and... well, I'm  _trying_ not to hate foxes so much anymore."  
  
    "I know it's not going to be easy to recover from what happened," Violet frowned. "Is therapy helping?"  
  
    "A little," Samantha shrugged. "I still get anxious every time I see a fox."  
  
    "Well, it's nice to hear that you're trying, at least," Violet nodded.  
  
    "I... still don't like the idea of Judy  _being_ with a fox, though," Samantha added with a frown. "I mean them together, so close already... I dunno..."  
  
    "Eh, understandable, I guess," Violet matched her frown.  
  
    "It's just so... it's  _deviant_ for a fox to be with a bunny," Samantha said, her voice sounding almost helpless. "It's definitely not what nature intends; you can't say that it is. Look at how it was in ancient times. Foxes ate bunnies. It's... it's just not right for them to  _be_ together. It's not natural."  
  
    "Perhaps not," Violet took off her glasses and nodded her head sideways toward them before replacing them. "But in ways, we are above 'nature'. I desire my sister's happiness and safety, and she has both at the moment, despite everything."  
  
    "Guess so," Samantha muttered, looking away.  
  
    "You can still find happiness, Samantha, if you look for it," Violet offered.  
  
    "Ah yes, thank you Sensei," Samantha returned mockingly, placing her paws together and mock-bowing.  
  
    "Watch it, you," Violet pointed her pointer at Sam, who disarmed her of the metal rod and pointed it at _her_. Then, Violet removed the pointer from Sam after a brief struggle and pointed it back at Sam again. The two started giggling. Violet telescoped the pointer and put it away. "I mean it though, Sam. You've been home a long time, but you... you haven't been  _looking_ for happiness. I don't know if it will just come find you."  
  
    "And I don't really know that vague words of wisdom are going to help me, Vi," Samantha sighed. "But thanks for continuing to look after me."  
  
    "Of course, I'll worry about you for as long as it takes," Violet smirked, adjusting her glasses, then she was off.  
  


* * *

  
    About a month later, in August, about the height of the warm Bunnyburrow summer, Samanatha felt like going for a walk. She left the compound and walked out to one of the Hopps' orchards. The apples were ready to be picked and looked especially delicious hanging there on the trees. Samantha wondered if she could-  
  
    She eyed an apple hanging there on a high branch. She rushed at the tree and jumped at the trunk, quickly springing off while spinning around in the air, swiping her paw for the apple. Gaining purchase, she yanked down as gravity worked on her and ended up on the ground, kneeling, the apple in paw.  
  
    "Heh!" Samantha tossed the apple up in the air and caught it. She definitely wouldn't have been able to pull off a stunt like that back before she started training and working out. Of course, picking out any apple she wanted from a tree was a small benefit to what she had been through, but- no, she didn't want to let her mind go back there for no reason.  
  
    Samantha could savor a small victory. She sunk her front teeth into the apple and ate a bite. The small victory did taste quite sweet.  
  
    "Sam? That you?" her fathers voice called out to her, and ran closer.  
  
    "Ah, hey dad," Samantha took another bite of the apple, then looked at it, and at him. "Hey um... I'm sorry I haven't been more helpful around the place."  
  
    "No no, it's okay, Sam," Stu approached, shaking his head and his hands. "No worries there." He smiled. "I know it might take some time."  
  
    "It's... been taking a lot of time," Samantha admitted. "I kind of feel stuck in a rut."  
  
    "Oh, sure, I understand," Stu nodded rapidly. "That's fine. I mean, ah, it's not 'fine', but... you know what I mean."  
  
    "Yeah," Samantha nodded. "I can- maybe I can start helping around the farm a bit more."  
  
    "If it'd make you happy, sweetheart," Stu shrugged. "I know farming was never really your joy or passion."  
  
    "I kinda just feel like I'm spinning my wheels, though," Samantha sighed. "I dunno what it is, I still don't feel like trying teaching again, and I still kinda, well..."  
  
    "Ah, I wanted to talk to you about something," Stu came closer and put a paw on her shoulder. "I'm sorry if you feel slighted at all because of what's been going on at the compound."  
  
    "What do you mean, dad?" Samantha asked.  
  
    "Oh, y'know," Stu took his hand off from her and swiped it through the air, showing his teeth in a wince as he breathed in. "There's the thing that happened with Jeremy and Celeste, for starters."  
  
    "Okay, Celeste is a coyote, for one," Samantha held up a finger, then adding a second. "For two, that didn't even really work out between them, did it?"  
  
    "I mean, I suppose not," Stu shrugged. "It was a nice little thing, though. Oh, there's that romance between Bailey and Riina." Stu pointed at her with both index fingers.  
  
    "Isn't that like, literally puppy love?" Samantha smirked, rolling her eyes. "They're both young; I doubt it's serious."  
  
    Stu rolled his eyes off to the side. "Well, I dunno about it not being serious... but... how about that I'm partnered with Gideon Grey?"  
  
    "I barely see the guy," Samantha shrugged. "He seems harmless enough from what I hear."  
  
    "Boy, I feel like foxes have just been everywhere these last few years. And... Nick and Judy?" Stu winced.  
  
    "I uh..." Samantha twisted her mouth, her nose twitching a little. "That one bothers me just a little. Maybe more than a little."  
  
    "Would you prefer they weren't together?" Stu looked a bit sad.  
  
    "I'd... I don't know," Samantha sighed, taking another bite of the apple. "I almost think I'd prefer it if they weren't seeming to work so well together. I think I'm... jealous?"  
  
    "Mm, that's odd," Stu tilted his head.  
  
    "I think part of me expects or even wants their relationship to crumble," Samantha muttered. "Like there's no way it could work out, kind of like Jeremy and Celeste. But all the gossip says they're really good together."  
  
    "They are," Stu shrugged. "Judy's really happy. And Nick? He's just a... a swell guy. I'm glad to know him."  
  
    "I'm definitely not trying to be an obstacle to them, dad, or a blight on this family," Samantha held her free paw out palm up. "I just- I don't know what I need to do to get better; sometimes I wonder if I _can_..."  
  
    "It's okay, honeybun," Stu offered a hug, which Samantha readily accepted. "You're doing really good."  
  
    "Thanks, dad," Samantha smiled faintly. She didn't know if she quite believed it, but it was getting easier to see that it might be at least plausible.  
  
    "If they went and got married, do you think you'd want to come to the celebration?" Stu wondered as he broke from the hug.  
  
    "I... don't think I'd be ready for that," Samantha thought back to her first encounter with Nick. "Last thing they'd need from me is to have some sort of episode and ruin their wedding."  
  
    Stu looked sidelong at her, but nodded. "Okay, Sam, like I said, whatever makes you feel comfortable."  
  
    Samantha nodded, finishing off her apple.  
  
    "Make sure you leave some of those for the rest of us, though!" Stu perked up.  
  
    "Dad...!" Samantha rolled her eyes. "This is my first one of the season."  
  
    Stu chuckled merrily, then shook his head and was off to do more work.  
  
    Samantha felt a faint glow in her heart. Both her parents and Violet honestly wanted her to get better, and she did too. She knew it wasn't really as easy as having the resolution, but she knew that it couldn't hurt to keep it there in her spirit. She eyed the tree she was standing next to, crouched, and sprang straight up, snatching a lower-hanging apple from the tree. She sighed thoughtfully as she dug her teeth into it, heading back to the compound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to stevegallacci for letting me reference the characters of Jeremy Hopps and Celeste from the story "Celeste".
> 
> Also thanks to Selaxes for letting me reference the characters of Bailey Hopps and Riina from the story "Sounds of the Heart".


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To my regular readers: These next four chapters are going to be altered versions of the "Vixen" stories in my short story collection "Different Tails". Fundamentally, the stories will be the same, however some details will have changed to be more congruent with the narrative. In particular, with this first chapter the story was more from Judy's point of view when I first wrote it; it is now in Samantha's point of view.
> 
> The story will continue after Vixen IV, for at least four or five more chapters. Even if you wouldn't like to read these edited versions of the "Vixen" continuity, I hope you'll pick it back up afterwards when Samantha's story moves on to a conclusion.

    Samantha rapidly jabbed at the sandbag, her blows landing solidly. She sneered in frustration and disgust.  
  
    The cream-and-white bunny had just about rationalized to herself that Nick and Judy were going to stay together; that was "fine".  
  
    She hadn't attended their wedding, even though it was held in Bunnyburrow. She thought she'd be doing them a favor that way; Samantha didn't want to cause a scene at their wedding if something triggered her. It still made her look bad, as even Ivory had attended and behaved herself. Samantha scoffed and then yelled out, delivering a hard straight punch into the bag.  
  
    It was Serendipiday again, a summer festival based on the lapine Celestial of fortune and happenstance. Nick and Judy had come over like they did last year, right before things had gotten very serious. This year, this very day, Samantha had thought to greet them, maybe even- well, she didn't know if she could give Nick a  _hug_ just yet. Maybe she could at least apologize for skipping out on their wedding. But when Samantha saw Judy, her stomach turned and she felt like she would be ill.  
  
    Judy was wearing a _collar_.  
  
    A collar. A symbol of canid submission and surrender. Worn with casual flippancy and maybe even pride. Pride for being with that fox, even owned by him. Samantha had muscled past a crowd of other bunnies who wanted to ask Judy questions and rushed over to the gym. She wrapped tape around her wrists and feet and eyed the sandbag. She imagined that the sandbag was Nick, and her anger flared.  
  
    No, she imagined the sandbag was _her_. That other vixen. Her anger spiked even higher, and with a yell she threw herself at the sandbag, delivering a barrage of precise blows. Her amber-colored eyes seemed to ignite with passion as she let loose with her assault. Though furious, she felt in control. Her strikes were measured and exact. She fought the urge to laugh, or maybe cry? She didn't know.   
  
    Samantha heard the sounds of shuffling between her blows. She turned her head to look at who it was. Of  _course_ it was Judy. Who else could it have been? Spinning around, she delivered a roundhouse kick to the sandbag that sent it impressively far away from her. When it returned, she transitioned into a straight kick with her other leg, delivered so solidly that it seemed to catch the sandbag and immobilize it. The sandbag shuddered from the solid thump.  
  
    "What are you doing in the gym, Wilde?" Samantha gestured to Judy with her head roughly. Judy's face remained blank at her new surname. Samantha ran her tongue over her teeth; she had said that specifically to try to put a little distance between Judy's marriage to Nick and the rest of her family.  
  
    "Trying to escape the fluffle for a little while," Judy said in a normal voice. Samantha walked over to Judy and stared at her with her blazing amber eyes. Her years of working out had left her quite the athletic-looking specimen, for a doe. Judy did not seem even the slightest bit intimidated; her nose wasn't even twitching. Samantha's intense gaze quickly moved to Judy's collar. It had a black strap with playful silver-colored lines along it, and an orange and green gemmed carrot charm. Samantha turned her head abruptly and spat.  
  
    " _Disgusting_."  
  
    Judy didn't respond, her eyes searching Samantha. The latter felt as though she was being sized up, so she decided to further try to intimidate her younger sister. Samantha punched a fist into her other hand, grinding it into her palm. Judy didn't react, not even with a flinch. Samantha placed one hand on her hip and let the other hang down, regarding Judy with her teeth barely showing.  
  
    "You're still wearing that collar, huh?" Samantha asked with unguarded anger. "That _affront_?"  
  
    "No one is making me," Judy said firmly. "I wear it because I want to."  
  
    "Bullspit," Samantha returned, staring down at her sister. "You wear it because that predator has brainwashed you into compromising your ideals. The strong, independent Judy I know would never have acquiesced to some vile predator and made herself his lesser."  
  
    "Shut your  _plucking_ mouth!" Judy shot back in sudden anger, staring up at her with her own violet eyes wide open. "I'm  _not_ a lesser. Nick doesn't 'own' me. I willingly have given myself to him. If you had been at the wedding, you might understand!"  
  
    "I understand plenty," Samantha spun on her heel, balling her fists. Her short shirt did expose some of her bare scars, and she knew Judy would be able to see them. "You ask me what I know about predators. Plenty. They're hunters, always looking for prey. Especially foxes. The scum." Her breath trembled on the exhale. She felt like her mind was being consumed with negativity, but she couldn't fight it off.  
  
    "That is not true in the slightest," Judy said angrily, her own fists closing tight. "Can you tell me you've never had any bad experiences with bunnies?"  
  
    "So, you still haven't figured it out, huh?" Samantha turned back around, crouching slightly so she could look Judy directly in the eyes. She tilted her head and curled her lip up in a sneer. "Did you ever  _care_ to ask what happened to me?"  
  
    "About your past?" Judy replied. "Mom told me it was none of my business."  
  
    "And it's not," Samantha straightened up. "But I'm  _making_ it  _my_ business that you wear that- that _thing_ like a badge of honor. It's _vile_." Her finger pointed accusingly at the collar. Samantha's stomach again turned at what the collar represented. Submission, willingness to give oneself to- to one of those...  
  
    "Really, it's  _your_ business what I do with my life," Judy defiantly folded her arms tightly. "That's news to _me_."  
  
    "So, what is it about that fox that gets you going, huh?" Samantha narrowed her eyes, closing in on Judy again. "That ragged, heavy breath as he covers you? Those claws and teeth, far too sharp for bunnies to be safe? Or how about that overpowering _stench_ , the one like violets?" Samantha shuddered as she was stricken by the intense memory of it. "It's not  _for_ bunnies. You- you _vixen_!"  
  
    "First off, that slur isn't even current-" Judy started.  
  
    "Fitting, then, for you and that fox!" Samantha ran her tongue over her teeth. "You two abandoning yourself to the most base, animalistic of desires...!"  
  
    "Is that what bothers you?" Judy swept one of her hands in front of her. "Are you seriously that concerned with what I do in my private time?"  
  
    "It's _not natural_!" Samantha yelled, her voice cracking hoarsely. She got right into Judy's face.  
  
    "Sam, if you don't back off, I'm going to put you on the floor," Judy said coldly. She looked over Samantha's body as if calculating how she would accomplish this. "Don't think that I can't. I've taken down a rhino. You're nothing to me."  
  
    "Yeah, clearly I'm not," Samantha jerked her head off to the side, fuming and stepping away from her. "Listen Wilde, everything that fox has done, every word he has said... it's- it's just been to get you into bed and have his way with you. Everything."  
  
    "How  _dare_ you," Judy snapped back. Samantha saw Judy's stance slightly shift; one of her legs twitched. It seemed as though a fight was imminent.  
  
    "It's not like he can  _help_ it," Samantha made a conciliatory gesture with both arms out. "It's in his _nature_. His _biology_."  
  
    "Don't you say another word about this," Judy warned.  
  
    "Predator, Wilde," Samantha continued, her voice nearly breaking. "That's all he is, and all he ever will be."  
  
    Judy took a step toward Samantha, but Samantha quickly decided she didn't want to fight her sister, no matter what the outcome of it would be. She turned her back to Judy and started to walk out of the gym. After just three seconds, Samantha heard her sister's voice calling out to her loudly. "Sam, wait."  
  
    "What?" Samantha's voice was icy, and she didn't turn to face her.  
  
    "What... happened to you, anyway?" Judy asked with a slight meekness to her voice. "Why do you feel so strongly about this?"  
  
    Samantha stormed over to Judy, turned around, and sat down. Samantha reached around back with her paws to grab the edge of her own shirt and tugged it off. Judy gasped lightly. Her scars were now on full display for Judy to see, as well as the indentations on the back of her neck and her shoulder.  
  
    "Predators just take what they want, Judy," Samantha said, holding her voice firm. "They always have. In ancient times they ate us. Now... well, we're still just prey to them."  
  
    "Samantha...!" Judy was struck by surprise, shock, and pity. Samantha put her shirt back on, standing up, unwilling to look at Judy.  
  
    "You know, don't you?" Samantha barely turned her head. "Those scars Gideon gave you. You know that foxes are like that. For them to change... well, something really drastic has to happen to them. It's not  _normal_ for them to be truly kind. Silver tongues, honeyed words. A careful thought or action. And that... that smell. They all are tools, traps, for a predator to catch their prey."  
  
    "Sam..." Judy quickly made her way around her. "I didn't know...!"  
  
    "It's all they're capable of," Samantha went on, her voice still heavy, but ringing hollow. "And now you get off on it. You revel in it. I can't believe you."  
  
    "Nick would never hurt me, Sam," Judy said tenderly, placing her hand on her own chest. Her mouth twisted. "But would it make you feel better if he did? Would you like to be right all along? That predators are nothing but violent, selfish scum? Are you just waiting to say 'I told you so' if Nick accidentally makes me bleed?"  
  
    "I don't  _want_ to be right!" Samantha held up a fist, shaking it and leaning in close to Judy. "You're my little sister, Judy! I don't want you to be hurt! You're playing with fire! The blaze from the devil!" Samantha held up her other fist, shaking them by her forehead, before loudly exclaiming wordlessly and getting up and away from Judy, throwing her arms out to her side.  
  
    "Sam, I trust Nick with my life," Judy said patiently. "My life has hung by a thread on more than one occasion, and he's pulled that thread and drawn me into his arms. He would never hurt me, not intentionally. For you to suggest otherwise is hurtful."  
  
    "All that..." Samantha scoffed, her mind clouded with despair. "So he could bed you. Believe me,  _she_ told me she'd never hurt me either."  
  
    "She...?" Judy was perplexed. She then gasped tersely.  
  
    "Mm, so you don't believe me, huh?" Samantha sucked at her teeth, shaking her head. "Of course some sweet little  _vixen_ isn't going to hurt a prey. Some little perfect, charming vixen that-..." Samantha broke off, feeling the specter of that horrible encounter envelop her.  
  
    "Nh-no, I believe you," Judy said. "That's horrible that anyone would do that to you, male or female, pred or prey. It's not about those things, it's about being evil to someone..."  
  
    "Isn't it?" Samantha waved a hand dismissively. "Then why did the Celestials endow them with swords for teeth and knives for claws? What possible reason, other than for them to just be able to _take_ what they want!?"  
  
    "Things were different in the past, we've changed," Judy insisted.  
  
    " _No_!" Samantha stomped a foot, the sound of her yell reverberating in the gym. "Everyone still has the same needs on a basic level! It's only... it's only a matter of time before a fox will t-turn on you...!"  
  
    "Sam," Judy held out a hand to her in concern, not wanting to touch her if she didn't wish it. "Please, let me try to prove you wrong. Let Nick prove himself. Or can't he? Will you never accept him?"  
  
    "He's... not right... it can't ever _be_ right..." Samantha seemed on the verge of a breakdown.  
  
    "I don't think it's wrong to be attracted to predators, Samantha," Judy said. She opened her hands submissively. "There's something very... strong about them, right? You respect that strength, don't you? I do too... but someone took advantage of that fascination, and that can't be forgiven. Please,  _please_ don't hate Nick for something he will never do."  
  
    "How can you be so _sure_?" Samantha breathed out, her breath shuddering.  
  
    Judy smiled. "If he hurts me, I will give you my full permission to go after him. Is that why you're training, just in case there's a 'next time'?"  
  
    "Heh, is it that obvious?" Samantha took on a sour smile. "Yeah, I've got an axe kick that could crush a pred's head in."  
  
    "That's the spirit," Judy rolled her eyes. "Listen, it might be too soon, but would you like to come to the Serendipiday festival with Nick and I? Maybe we can get Violet, too?"  
  
    "Violet, that fussbudget?" Samantha groaned. "She worries about everything, Judy. I'd be worried that the stress of waiting for me to attack Nick would make her head explode."  
  
    "Yeah, she once came all the way over to my apartment in Zootopia with like a dozen of our siblings just because I hurt my _hand_ ," Judy rolled her eyes, then laughed. "Okay, so you're objecting more to Vi than Nick; we're getting somewhere."  
  
    "Ugh, what is wrong with you, Judy?" Samantha chuckled, but it turned tearful, and she started sobbing quietly. "What's wrong with you...?" Judy offered her arms again, and Sam walked over to hug her.  
  
    "The Celestials work in mysterious ways, Sam," Judy said. "It might be Karma that wants to help heal your wounds. Maybe she will send a vulpine to help you, as one hurt you." Samantha flinched into the hug as this was one of the last things she'd expect to hear from her sister.  
  
    "Cheese us," Samantha said flatly through her tears. "I can't believe you said that. That dumb fox really must have brainwashed you." She squeezed her little sister firmly. "Karma... what a joke. That dog..."  
  
    "It's okay, Sam, it's okay," Judy held onto her bigger sister.  
  
    At that moment, Nick walked into the gym.  
  
    "Judy? You all right now?" Nick walked toward his wife, but froze when he saw what was going on. "Um... Samantha?"  
  
    Samantha broke from Judy and wiped her eyes. She folded her arms and nodded toward Nick. "Mm."  
  
    "Is everything okay?" Nick looked warily at Judy.  
  
    Judy smiled with a touch of sorrow. "Not really, but hopefully it will be, in time."  
  
    "Maybe I should go then," Nick narrowed an eye. "I get the feeling that-"  
  
    "Shut up, Wilde," Samantha sucked at her teeth. She walked passed him roughly, purposefully bumping him on her way over. "Hope you're ready to lose at that 'Test Your Strength' game at the festival."  
  
    "Uh, wait," Nick said. "First of all, she's coming? Secondly, I thought I remembered that you had to use finesse in that game."  
  
    "Pff," Samantha spat brusquely, tossing him a pitying glance. "Yeah, that's just what a wimpy fox  _would_ say." She left the gym.  
  
    Samantha's eyes still watered, but she grinned as she headed for a shower near her room to clean off. Then, she'd need to change into a loud, brightly colored shirt, as that was Serendipiday tradition. She'd clobber that fox, if not physically, at some of the games and contests at Serendipiday.  
  
     _That'd show him,_ Samantha thought to herself, wiping another tear away.  
  
     _Show him what?_ her mind asked back. _That a bunny can stand up to a fox?_  
  
  _No,_ Samantha replied. _That I'm... I'm doing better. I can be friends with a fox._  
  
 _Can't I...?_


	10. Chapter 10

    Samantha entered the bookstore as a petty criminal might. Her steps were guarded and her amber eyes darted around nervously. She pet at one of her cream-furred arms with her other paw to try to still her nerves. The bunny avoided aisles occupied with other mammals. Samantha felt as though she were a string being pulled taut and hastened her pace, heading toward a fitness and well-being section. Her eyes flitted over the titles until she found an intriguing one. Picking it up and thumbing through it quickly, she then closed it and started making her way to the checkout counter.  
  
    "Rh...!" Samantha's teeth grit tightly as she saw who, or rather _what_ , the only mammal at the checkout was. Looking around as if for an escape, she started to walk backwards, wondering if she could convince another employee to get to the register. Feeling an additional burst of shame, she turned around.  
  
    "Samantha?"  
  
    Samantha started with a terse yelp as she turned around to find Violet. Her sister had on her usual sweater, a skirt, and her glasses. In her arms she had a book closely guarded to her chest, and around her shoulder was slung a carrying case for her iPawpad.  
  
    "Violet!" Samantha adopted a readied stance instinctively, though it looked somewhat comical as she was also holding a book. "You know better than to sneak up on me! What are you doing here!?" She quickly changed into a more casual stance.  
  
    "Yes, sneaking up on you is a poor idea," Violet wrinkled her nose. "But I did not do that. You nearly backed into me. As to what I'm doing here?" She nodded down at her book. "Bookstores are one of the last bastions of my people." She smirked.  
  
    "I thought 'your people' would just download your books nowadays," Samantha pointed accusingly at her electronic device.  
  
    "My iPawpad is for business, books are for pleasure," Violet returned. "There's nothing like the tactile feeling of a book, its weight, its smell. We aren't quite to that level of intimacy with electronic devices yet, and I hope we don't rush to get there."  
  
    "So uh, what do you have?" Samantha tried to slowly circle around Violet so she could make her way back to the fitness and well-being section to put her own book back.  
  
    Violet smiled, holding up the book. "Oh! This is the latest from humorist Dave Beary. He lives in Meowami, Flowerdia. Crazy place." Violet chuckled. "His usage of things like hyperbole, comparisons, and running jokes is just sublime."  
  
    "Didn't take you for much of a joke-loving bunny," Samantha scoffed over her shoulder as she continued walking away from Violet.  
  
    "Well, I suppose there's still some surprises we're keeping from each other, Samantha," Violet said. "Such as the reason why  _you_ would be here at a bookstore." Samantha flinched as she had almost gotten away from Violet, but the latter hastened to catch up to her and look at her book. She bent over while reading the title, which Samantha was trying to obscure from her. "Hm... 'Lapine Meditation and Revitalization'. Sounds appropriate for you."  
  
    "Tch, don't be condescending," Samantha muttered defensively.  
  
    "Are things not working out with your therapist?" Violet straightened up and tilted her head slightly.  
  
    "Well, uh," Samantha turned her head, sighing as she closed her eyes briefly. "Well here's the thing about books, Vi. They don't judge you."  
  
    Violet's eyes narrowed. "Is your therapist judging you? It might be prudent to get a new one, then."  
  
    "I don't know, it's just..." Samantha sneered, taking a few more steps away from Violet. "Therapists have to hide behind whatever their own ideas are, right? When I tell them of my past, my trauma, then mention how long it's been, I can't help but feel like they're judging me. Those empty nods as if they're taking everything in. I feel like they're thinking 'oh, what a broken bunny!'"  
  
    "So you'd like healing to come from a more personal level?" Violet observed.  
  
    "I want to fix _myself_!" Samantha said, sweeping a paw out. "I mean, I know I've relied on you for a long time to try to get through this, but I'm strong enough to get past this, I  _know_ I am! I'll be best pals with Nick the next time he comes over, you'll see!"  
  
    "Nick, specifically?" Violet raised an eyebrow.  
  
    "I may have...  _kind of_ freaked out over Judy wearing a collar last Serendipiday," Samantha said in a dry, self-deprecating voice. "I felt like I took a big step backward. I felt _weak_." Samantha slapped her hand on her thigh in muted anger.  
  
    "I have no doubt of your strength of any kind," Violet said warily. "But remember, don't rush yourself, and  _don't_ think of a setback as a failure. I know you think it's taken a long time, but in the grand scheme of things, if you get there at all, you win. Heck, as long as you keep trying to move _forward_ , you win." She shook her head. "Anyway, I've found meditation to be helpful occasionally, so I hope that book can help you. Perhaps I could even help you with some of the techniques?"  
  
    "You... I mean, you're really busy with your own responsibilities on the farm, aren't you?" Samantha seemed unusually meek. "I... I've asked a lot of you as it is."  
  
    "So you're saying I couldn't budget out some more time to help my sister?" Violet had a blank look. Samantha momentarily didn't respond, looking somewhere between touched and alarmed.  
  
    "Well... here, if you want to help me right _now_..." Samantha started digging in her wallet. She offered a crisp green bill and her book to Violet. "Here's twenty bucks. Could you go buy this for me while you're getting your humor thing?"  
  
    "I... could?" Violet looked at the book and the money, taking both. She looked toward the checkout counter. The only mammal there was a female kit fox with crystal blue eyes. She seemed to be just as tall as the two bunnies talking to each other, but her smaller ears made her seem shorter. The vixen appeared to have her nose stuck in a thick graphic novel; she was enchanted by it. "Ah."  
  
    "Don't 'ah' me," Samantha glowered at Violet. "Just... she's making me feel really nervous, okay?"  
  
    "She is, indeed, a fox," Violet said, sighing. "I can see why you'd want my help."  
  
    Samantha sighed. "Thanks-"  
  
    "However, given her _size_..." Violet narrowed her eyes. "Were she to lunge at you from behind the counter, all you'd have to do is deflect one paw while leveraging the other one and her motion to roll her across your shoulder and onto the floor." She demonstrated such a motion. Then, she sharply chopped down with her free hand. "Then, a sharp blow to the neck should incapacitate."  
  
    Samantha stared at her incredulously. "Okay. _Okay_. I see what this is. You're trying to make my feelings about vixens seem ridiculous in this context. Just because she's a little kit fox."  
  
    "Not at all," Violet said, her face still even. "We can't be too careful, after all. Even the most non-threatening looking fox ever could have a dark past. It is _possible_. However, I think you are more than capable of subduing her." Violet suddenly looked contemplative. "You know, I've always wondered why they were classified _Vulpes macrotis_. 'Big ears'? You'd think a fennec fox would have gotten that name. Kit fox ears aren't even that large."  
  
    "You're unbelievable," Samantha said darkly, snapping up the meditation book from Violet with a flinch from the latter. "I'll get it myself." Samantha stormed closer to the checkout aisle, which was still currently empty. Feelings of apprehension and anxiety clawed at her, slowing her steps. The kit fox still had her full attention on the graphic novel, oblivious to the bunny's worry. With a groan of frustration, Samantha turned on her heel and rushed over to the section she had picked the book up from. Violet looked on in worry as Samantha plopped the book back down and walked over to her.  
  
    "It's not always about what's _logical_ , Violet," Samantha held up her hands near her face and closed them. "You can lay out everything for me in that weird way you do, and- and I  _know_ she's not just going to pluck my life story from thin air or anything when she sees the book... but it's- it's about... _feeling_ , you know? I just can't go up to her! I can't! Even though it seems like the easiest thing in the world. Even though I  _should_ be strong enough. Even though I just- I should be  _better_ about this now! It's just... rgh!" Samantha punched her hand into her fist. She let out a heavy sigh of shame and discouragement.  
  
    "Understood," Violet nodded once. She walked over calmly, picked up the book from the shelf Samantha left it on, and headed to the checkout.  
  
    "No, Vi! What are you-?" Samantha followed her over, but stopped short and hid behind a fixture near the exit of the store.  
  
    Violet made a single huff of amusement when even standing right in front of the kit fox didn't provoke a reaction. She read her name tag and cleared her throat.  
  
    "Terra?"  
  
    The kit fox flinched dramatically as if she'd been wrested from a spell. "Nyuh? Oh! Oh, hi. Hi! Uh, reading on the job, that's- uh, not so professional! Hehe...! Sorry." She closed the graphic novel and put it out of sight.  
  
    "What was that graphic novel?" Violet asked conversationally.  
  
    "We just got it in today, and I bought one right after all the pre-orders were set aside!" Terra smiled broadly, placing both paws on the counter. "It's the latest in the 'Piberius' series. It's this really cool story about masked vigilantes, and-" Violet held up a paw to halt her. The kit fox blinked twice.  
  
    "Ah, no spoilers," Violet said gently. "I'd actually like to get into that series myself some day."  
  
    "Oh, no way! You totally should," Terra nodded rapidly. "It's great! So um, enough about that... did you find everything okay?" Terra took the two books from her and gave a wincing smile at her outburst.  
  
    "Mm," Violet nodded. Terra scanned the first book. Samantha felt like her heart was beating fast even with no physical involvement in their exchange.  
  
    "Ooh, Dave Beary!" Terra giggled. "I can tell you like 'high brow' literature."  
  
    Violet laughed in return. "Says the vixen reading a comic book on the job."  
  
    "Graphic novel!" Terra pointed a finger up to correct her.  
  
    "Regardless," Violet chuckled. "Dave Beary never ceases to make me laugh. I have a feeling this book won't disappoint."  
  
    "Yeah, I loved his last collection!" Terra said, then scanned the other book. She neglected to comment on the title.  
  
    "That one is for my sister," Violet offered. Samantha gasped, then grit her teeth tightly in worry.  
  
    "Meditation, huh?" Terra shrugged. "Never tried it. I can relax with a good book or graphic novel really easily."  
  
    "Well, I suppose some of us don't have it that easy; their problems aren't so trivially cast aside," Violet said with an even face. "I'm hoping this will help."  
  
    "No, you're right, that's horrible to think about..." Terra nodded. "I hope it helps her..."  
  
    This was too much for Samantha, and she rushed out of the shop, slamming the door with her shoulder as she made her way out. Rubbing both shoulders with her hands, she furiously wandered around the sidewalk the store was on, cursing and muttering to herself.  
  
     Soon enough, Violet made her way outside the store, carrying a bag. Samantha angrily rushed over to her sister.  
  
    "Can you just  _not control_ yourself!?" Samantha flung both arms in the air, towering over Violet though they were both the same height. Violet defensively flinched backwards. "What was that all about!? Airing all my dirty laundry to some stranger! Some _vixen_!"  
  
    "Do you think I have no sense of propriety?" Violet managed to stay calm. "I didn't say anything sensitive."  
  
    "You're so _nosy_ ; such a _busybody_!" Samantha fumed, throwing her hands down next to Violet, nearly hitting her inadvertently. Violet flinched again. "Not even  _Judy_ is spared your wrath! You have to know every _thing_ about every _one_! You have to be in everyone's business!"  
  
    "Yh- you know that's not true; I just want to help..." Violet said weakly. "You know I'm fussy and a worrier. I'm concerned about you." Violet pulled the meditation book out of the bag and offered it. Samantha slowly defused, taking the book. "Oh, and I got Terra's contact information."  
  
    Samantha recoiled with her jaw dropped as if struck. "You _what_?"  
  
    "Yeah, I'm thinking of doing a little book-club kind of meet up at our place, maybe once a month," Violet looked up into the sky. "Terra seems pleasant, and she's definitely enthusiastic about reading; maybe she could help cultivate such interest in the younger ones."  
  
    "I just... you what-" Samantha sputtered. "Are you  _trying_ to provoke me? Are you  _trying_ to make my life difficult!?"  
  
    "I'm not, Samantha," Violet's lip twitched, betraying a small twinge of hurt. "I hope- I hope eventually you'll see that." She turned around and walked away with her head slightly bowed. She moved brisker than her normal pace.  
  
    Drained, and slightly put off by her own outburst, Samantha scoffed at herself and sighed in fatigue. "Violet... jeez, you- I- _ugh_..." She made a face at the book she had her sister buy for her, then turned around to walk to her vehicle. As she did, the crisp twenty dollar bill that she had given Violet dropped out of the book's cover and onto the sidewalk.  
  
    Samantha slightly gasped as she noticed this, and stooped to pick it up.  
  
    With a small grumble and a sigh, she pocketed the money and started to head home.  
  
    She definitely had some reading to do. After an apology.


	11. Chapter 11

    Serendipiday had rolled around again, and this time Samantha was dressed the part from the beginning of the day. She was wearing an electric blue tank top with yellow lightning bolt shapes on it. It was pretty much the ugliest top she owned and it didn't quite cover all of her scars, but it was definitely perfect for Serendipiday. She heard a commotion coming from the main entry hall and looked at her phone. That kit fox was always on time for the "book meet" Violet had set up, even though this one fell on a holiday.  
  
    "It's Terra! Terra's here!" one of the young bunnies said. Samantha's ears just caught this, perking up. She decided to head toward them  
    "Terra! You gonna read us a story again!?"  
  
    "Sure am!" Terra replied, trying to duck and weave her way through the crowd. Samantha chuckled as the kit fox tried to fight her way through the cloud of grasping paws.  
  
    "Yay! Terra reads the best stories!"  
    "Terra, do you have a car?"  
  
    "I do!" Terra giggled. "How do you think I got here?"  
  
    "Terra, I love your shirt!"  
  
    Terra looked down at her rainbow-colored tye-dye shirt. "You think it's good enough for Serendipiday?"  
  
    "Yeah!" The kits continued to fuss over the kit fox as she tried to make her way to the main living area where their little book club meetup was supposed to take place. Samantha caught sight of Nick and Judy; the latter was giving the former a very broad smirk. Nick looked back at Judy with a blank expression, then sighed.  
  
    " _Yes_ , I am a bit jealous, okay?" Nick groaned, though in good humor. "Though it was a bit annoying to have the constant attention of all of your little shrieking brothers and sisters, to see it directed to another makes me feel less special."  
  
    "You're old news, fox," Judy chuckled. Samantha wandered in front of the two, waving a paw with the other behind her back. "Oh, hi Samantha. How are you doing?"  
  
    Samantha folded her arms, nodding diagonally. "Better, I think." She looked at Nick. "Looking at foxes no longer seems to make me sick to my stomach. I think Terra coming over every month has helped. I've even been able to talk to her a couple of times."  
  
    "Hey, that's great to hear," Nick closed his eyes and nodded.  
  
    Samantha narrowed one eye and looked at the two. "You two have been married for just over a year and you're still doing dorky things like this?" She indicated their shirts. "Your shirts match your partners' eyes."  
  
    "Oh, you noticed," Judy giggled.  
  
    "Where's your collar?" Samantha pointed briefly at Judy's neck.  
  
    Judy shrugged. "Well, you weren't the  _only_ one who took umbrage with it last year, Sam. Decided it might be easier to leave it home this time."  
  
    "Pff," Samantha folded her arms tightly and lolled her head. "Since when have you cared about what the ignorant masses think?" Nick chuckled into his fist at this.  
  
    "I don't want to stir up trouble just for its own sake," Judy rubbed at her neck. "But... hey, I know! I should get a  _tie_ so I can look even more like this fashion-blind mammal I'm married to!"  
  
    "Judy, no," Nick laughed harder.  
  
    "Judy, _yes_!" Judy wiggled her brow and headed off, flagging down one of her brothers. "Hey Justin! You got a tie I can borrow? Ugliest one you have!"  
  
    "Ouch," Samantha couldn't help but smile.  
  
    "She's a pawful, but I love her," Nick sighed. "Hey, you wanna come to the festival again with us? Judy and I are going to go early and see if they need any help there. Jayce is setting up a stall this year."  
  
    "Thanks, but no thanks," Samantha held up a paw. "No offense, but last year was pretty dull. I can't believe you've gone two years in a row without winning a single thing at Serendipiday."  
  
    "Eh, I'll make out like a bandit this year," Nick smirked, putting his hands in his pockets. "I'll win a Serendipidoll so big that it'll take both Judy and I to carry it home!"  
  
    Samantha looked playfully disgusted. "Did you seriously just call it-?"  
  
    "Well everything  _else_ in this stupid holiday is named after that bunny goddess," Nick held out both of his hands palm-up. "I'm sure Karma has been taking all of my losses into account and is priming me for a big win."  
  
    "Oh, is that how that works?" Samantha chuckled. "I would have thought the canid and lapine celestials wouldn't get along."  
  
    "Stranger things have happened," Nick lazily saluted with two fingers. "Anyway, I'm going to go grab the wifey and get her to the festival before anyone else gives her any fashion advice."  
  
    "Have fun, 'loser'," Samantha smirked, and Nick was off. Samantha sighed, turned around, and flinched subtly. Terra was standing right in front of her.  
  
    "Hey...!" Terra said apologetically, leaning forward a few degrees. She was holding a storybook in both paws, looking up at Samantha. "Uh, I don't suppose you've seen Violet? She's supposed to role-play this story with me for the kits."  
  
    "I... haven't seen her," Samantha scratched her chin. "That's odd. It's not like Violet to flake out on anything. Listen, I'll go get her for you."  
  
    "Thanks!" Terra grinned brightly. "Uh!" She turned and saw some kits going through her tote bag. "No no no! Get your paws off my comics!" Terra ran after the giggling kits trying to steal her comic books.  
  
    "Actually, only  _these_ are comic books," a geeky young Hopps girl said, holding up a couple of comic books. She held up some other books in the other paw. " _These_ are graphic novels."  
  
    "Whatever! Just give 'em back!" Terra desperately swiped at the agile, laughing bunnies, who all stayed playfully out of her range and taunted her with their theft of her property.  
  
    Samantha scoffed in amusement at the scene, then headed off. She questioned other bunnies around the house for signs of Violet, but no one had seen her. Samantha walked over to Violet's room and knocked on the door.  
  
    "Go away," Violet's voice came. Samantha refused and opened the door. It was dark inside and arranged messily in a sort of chaotic order, as Violet usually had it. Violet was sitting on the edge of her bed, wearing a bright yellow sweater, but lacking her glasses. She rubbed at her temples. "I see you won't follow simple instructions, Samantha."  
  
    "What gives?" Samantha made a flippant gesture with one hand. "It's Serendipiday. Why aren't you out here doing your thing?"  
  
    "I've delegated the responsibilities to others this year," Violet muttered, looking away. Samantha squinted her eyes. It was hard to tell in the low light, but Violet almost looked like she was trembling.  
  
    "You okay?" Samantha blinked.  
  
    "No," Violet said bluntly. "I think I forgot to take my meds this morning, and if I did manage to take them, they didn't work today. Since I can't double up on the dosage, I'm out of luck until tomorrow. I'm not having a good day."  
  
    "I... never knew you took _meds_ ," Samantha didn't know if she should approach or retreat.  
  
    "Well, now you know," Violet rubbed her knees with her paws distractedly.  
  
    "Oh, Terra said you're supposed to help her read a book or something," Samantha jerked her thumb backward. Violet looked at Samantha incredulously. "What? C'mon, she's only over once a month."  
  
    "Can't deal with it today," Violet said in a snippy voice. "You do it."  
  
    "Me?" Samantha mentally balked at the suggestion, but her sister's strange behavior was more concerning to her. "What's the matter, anyway?"  
  
    "Generalized anxiety disorder is 'the matter'," Violet twitched. "Worrying about everything or nothing. Unable to concentrate. Today I have a splitting headache and a bad stomachache. I don't want to deal with anything."  
  
    "Oh..." Samantha said in concern. "Is it because you have such a stressful job?"  
  
    "No," Violet shook her head. "In fact, I was diagnosed before I became our family's organizer. I...  _use_ my malady; my penchant for worrying about things. On a good day I can look at a problem from all angles and ascertain the best solution. On bad days I seem overly picky about everyone and everything. On worse days I get like this."  
  
    "You overcome your problems and turn them into strengths," Samantha curled her fingers into a fist and gently moved it into her other hand. "That's what I want to do. It's great that we have something in common, Vi."  
  
    "Don't try to flatter me," Violet mumbled, turning fully away from Samantha. "You don't know what this is like. To only be able to be your 'true' self when you've taken your medicine. You've been working through your own problems through meditation and exposure. I... just deal with them chemically."  
  
    Samantha frowned. "Isn't Terra going to be disappointed that she can't see you today?"  
  
    "I don't care about her," Violet snapped. "I mean... I don't feel anything for her. This whole 'book club' thing was just a transparent scheme I came up with to get you more comfortable around foxes. I'd say it's been working."  
  
    "I, uh..." Samantha wasn't sure what to say next. "I thought you and she had a  _lot_ in common."  
  
    "Superficially. Just go," Violet mumbled. "Either volunteer to replace me as her reading partner or don't, but I'm not going out there today."  
  
    "Okay," Samantha turned to leave, but stopped at the doorway. "Vi, you... I mean, a mammal takes medicine when something's wrong, yeah? So, when you're feeling bad like this, that can't be the 'true' you, just like someone with a sickness isn't the true them."  
  
     Violet didn't say anything for several seconds, and Samantha twisted her mouth and went to leave.  
  
    "As..." Violet started, and Samantha hesitated. "As ridiculously simple as that is, I suppose there's a grain of truth there."  
  
    "Hope you feel better, Vi," Samantha said, and gently shut her door.  
  
    "Thank you," Violet was barely audible through the door, but Samantha faintly smiled.   
  
    Samantha started marching toward the main living area, but stopped herself. Was she really going to go read a storybook to her young siblings with a fox? She stood still. It would be like when she was a teacher, reading to her class. Back when things were nice; before the vixen.  
  
    Samantha grit her teeth and her breath caught. Would anyone be able to tell? Would they know? It was true; Samantha was getting a lot better at talking to foxes like normal mammals, because well, they  _were_ normal mammals. _No, nothing exceptional about a fox that another mammal couldn't do or be_ , Samantha thought. But she'd be right next to one. She'd smell her, hear her voice, and it'd-  
  
    The bunny's face slightly scrunched up and she felt a moment of weakness in her ankles. She began to panic. No, this was easy. All she had to do was go down there and tell Terra that Violet couldn't come down and that Terra would just have to read to the kits by herself. _C'mon, it was just a storybook._  
  
    _NO! It WAS just a storybook!_ Samantha held a paw up and slashed it in front of her. _You're being ridiculous. Just go DO it._ You might even like it. Samantha's breaths still had a slight hint of a shudder to them, but she closed her eyes, let her fingertips gently touch each other, and centered herself with a drawn-out hum. Samantha's brother Timothy approached her cautiously after gawking at all of her strange silent actions.  
  
    "Ah, Sam, are you okay?" Timothy asked with both an audible and facial wince.  
  
    "Please mind your own business, Tim," Samantha said calmly.  
  
    "Yes, okay! Minding my own business!" Timothy said with his arms held up defensively, rushing away from her. Samantha opened her eyes at his retreating form and grinned.  
  
    "What a fluffball," Samantha chuckled at her brother.  
  


* * *

  
    "And inside the cave there was a huge dragon!" Samantha declared, reading from the book Terra had held up. She balled her fists and leaned forward, roaring. Bunnies shrieked and giggled at her effort, and Terra stifled a laugh. "'I could eat up fifty bunnies like you in a day! What are you doing in my cave!?'"  
  
    "'I made a promise to the princess!' said the handsome bunny knight," Terra picked up reading with a bold, heroic voice. "So the bunny knight dove into the piles of the dragon's treasure. The dragon was too scared to melt his own gold with his fire breath."  
  
    "'Come out and face me!'" Samantha said, using a grandiose, deep voice for the dragon.  
  
    "But the bunny knight used his speed to avoid the dragon and escaped with the one thing he needed!" Terra read. "It was the golden key that held the princess captive in the castle's dungeon where the evil vizier locked her away."  
  
    "Do I do the princess too?" Samantha narrowed her eyes. Terra nodded enthusiastically. "Okay... so the knight rescued the princess. 'You're my hero!' the princess said, embracing the knight." More bunnies laughed at Samantha attempting to do a sweet, feminine voice. She stuck her tongue out at the kits with her eyes half-lidded.  
  
    "'All in a knights work!' said the bunny knight!" Terra read. "And they lived happily ever after!"  
  
    "Wow, neat story!" One tiny critic raved.  
    "You're a cool dragon, Sam! You should read to us more often!"  
    "Do that princess voice again!"  
  
    "Okay kits, away with you," Samantha made a shooing motion. "There's still plenty of stuff to do on Serendipiday. And get away from there!" Samantha pointed at a couple of kits making for Terra's tote bag again, and they scattered.  
  
    "That was fun!" Terra smiled. "Thanks for subbing for me. Is Violet okay?"  
  
    "She's not feeling well today," Samantha said vaguely.  
  
    "Ah, that's a shame," Terra frowned. "Tell her I said hi." Terra gathered up her tote.  
  
    "Wait, are you leaving?" Samantha narrowed one eye. "It's Serendipiday. Are you going to the festival? You're dressed the part."  
  
    "Oh uh," Terra looked off to the side nervously. "Nah. I don't have anyone to go with and it'd be kinda weird to go by myself, you know?"  
  
    "Oh, well, uh..." Samantha rubbed behind her head. Her stomach felt like it was churning, but she mentally berated herself. She shrugged her shoulders. "I could go with you, if you want."  
  
    "Huh? Really?" Terra smiled faintly. "Cool! I mean, okay! I mean, uh... I've never gone to a Serendipiday festival with anyone before!"  
  
    "Never?" Samantha replied. "It's only like our biggest holiday. Didn't you say you grew up surrounded by bunnies?"  
  
    "Yeah, an only kit and a nearly all-bunny high school," Terra chuckled. "But I mean just because sometimes I feel like I might as well be a bunny doesn't mean I get all the perks of  _actually_ being one... I... guess I  _could_ have gone with someone if I asked, but I always was too... y'know..."  
  
    "Shy?" Samantha asked.  
  
    "Yeah..?" Terra winced. "And the family wasn't so well off, so we didn't have money to blow on going to the festival ourselves. We did go to Carrot Days though! That was... uh... decent!"  
  
    "You don't have to lie," Samantha laughed. "Carrot Days is pretty boring." Though she was trying to play it cool, she did feel the knot in her stomach reassert itself at the prospect of spending the evening with a fox, however pleasant said fox seemed. She took a breath to steel herself. "Anyway, I'll show you a good time tonight. Lots of fun to be had at the festival."  
  
    "I'm sure there is!" Terra nodded. "I can't wait! This'll be fun!"  
  
    Samantha nodded; she sure  _hoped_ it would be.


	12. Chapter 12

    Samantha wondered how she got herself into her present situation as she entered the steel-blue, sporty-looking car. She didn't often go to Serendipiday unless she had some sort of excuse, though her excuse  _this_ year was... not what she had expected. She was the only passenger of the four-door vehicle, and the kit fox that got in the driver's seat shut her door, buckled up, and started the car.  
  
    She was in a car, alone, with a vixen. After all this time.  
  
    "Comfy?" Terra asked. Her bright smile exposed her small but decently sharp teeth.  
  
    "Not really," Samantha tried to sound airy, as if she was making a joke. Terra giggled in response; it sounded like she had fallen for it. Samantha sighed deeply. It was going to be Terra's first Serendipiday. She was a bit younger than Samantha, but had never been to the festival by herself. Samantha wondered why that was. Terra said she was too shy to ask anyone else, but surely her family could have taken her? Did they not like bunnies? Did one of them have a gambling problem? These questions could easily have been asked would Samantha's mouth just open and work correctly. The one time she tried, a strange, wordless grunt escaped that thankfully the sound of the vehicle had drowned out. It was going to be a long thirty minute ride to the festival grounds. The sun hung low on the horizon, coloring the sky a pleasant, fiery orange. Once the sun went down, Serendipiday would start in earnest.  
  
    ...Come to think of it, Samantha thought, wasn't taking someone to their first Serendipiday supposed to be special? Almost like a date? Samantha felt a deep pang of unease in her gut.  
  
    Terra was a vixen. ...A small vixen, true, one of the smallest. She actually didn't quite come up to Samantha's height, and with her smaller ears she looked even shorter. Cute, but not overly cute like those teddy-bear-like fennec foxes could be. Samantha caught herself staring at Terra, who had a blithe, relaxed smile as she focused on the road with her crystal-blue eyes. Kit foxes had interesting colors to them; dusty grays framed her forehead, back, and muzzle top, while a layer of creamy orange decorated her arms, legs and cheeks. Accenting this were areas of white, with the underside of her chin smoothly leading into a little bib of white fur. Her paws were similarly adorned in white, almost like natural gloves and socks. This was all finished by a black tail tip at the end of a bushy gray tail.  
  
    Samantha realized she was staring at Terra and slowly focused on the road, swallowing. Looking at the kit fox made her nervous. That didn't make any sense, of course. She was a tiny, lithe thing. She posed no actual threat. Her personality was winsome and subdued as well. If only she wasn't a _vixen_.  
  
    "Y'know, sometimes I've thought about what it'd be like to be a bunny," Terra suddenly chirped up. Samantha slowly turned her head back to Terra, feeling a unique, deep form of discomfort that merged with the suspicion that her thoughts were somehow perceptible to the kit fox.  
  
    "No kidding?" Samantha folded her arms, feigning disinterest.  
  
    "Yeah, like I said, I grew up around so many bunnies, that I might as well have been one," Terra smiled. "But, there are things you can't get away from."  
  
    "Were you teased or persecuted for being a fox?" Samantha asked the question automatically, as if she was expected to.  
  
    "Not... really," Terra admitted, and her smile vanished.  
  
    "That didn't sound convincing," Samantha said flatly.  
  
    "No no, I'm telling the truth," Terra nodded. "They didn't outright tease me or hate me, it was more... subtle I guess? Maybe I just imagined it. I mean, I'm shy to begin with, but I kind of always sensed, maybe even _smelled_ , this air of suspicion. They kind of just tended to exclude me from social things... I guess."  
  
    "Yeah, that sounds like bunnies," Samantha said with a wry tone. "We're always making little cliques. Familial cliques, cliques based on interest, lots of things."  
  
    "I did notice that," Terra said. "So, if I was a bunny, even if I was shy, I'd probably be in one of those groups, right? I wouldn't have to feel left out."  
  
    "I guess so," Samantha said. "It's kind of like having a family following you around wherever you go."  
  
    "Don't have any brothers or sisters," Terra laughed nervously. "That definitely wouldn't have been the case if I were a bunny!"  
  
    "Family life not so good?" Samantha wondered.  
  
    "No no, can't complain, really," Terra smiled widely; her voice cheerful. "Mom and dad are great. Supportive. I've never had any real problems in my whole life." Samantha looked away. Of course this fox had it easy if all she was doing was complaining about bunnies not liking her. Her voice became somewhat peculiar, almost mysterious. "I'm always reading comic books and graphic novels." Sam continued to look away, causing Terra to bite at her lip. "Um, I know you don't really care much for those, but... they get me thinking sometimes." Sam tossed her a disbelieving look. "Great heroes are tempered through adversity. Every time someone topples a trial, they become stronger. When they're plagued with problems, they're interesting and relatable. But I'm not like that. I'm... uninteresting, boring... untested." Terra frowned. "Sometimes I think I'm destined to just be one of those mammals who's on the sidelines of life. You know? Just that girl behind the book counter. Destined for mediocrity. Hehe..."  
  
    Samantha gave her a somewhat incredulous look that Terra caught and cringed away from as she drove.  
  
    "Yeah, pretty pathetic, right?" Terra grinned. "I mean, not everyone can be an interesting person I guess, or else there'd be no one to measure dullness against."  
  
    "You think you're dull?" Samantha asked.  
  
    "Oh yeah, oh yeah," Terra nodded, smiling. "Sorry for dumping all that on you, I dunno what came over me."  
  
    Samantha shrugged. "No big deal. Don't really have any advice for you, though."  
  
    "No no, wasn't asking," Terra shook her head. "I just wanted to say, uh... I appreciate this? Your offer to take me to Serendipiday. Might be the most interesting thing that happens to me all year!"  
  
    "Well, don't get your hopes up," Samantha huffed, smirking and punching her own fist into her paw. "You know how these luck-based things go. They're rigged so barely anyone wins."  
  


* * *

  
    "Woah ho! Wah ha ha ha ha!" A giraffe bellowed out a laugh with a strange cadence as lights and buzzers flashed on his "test-your-strength" game. The indicator had stopped less than halfway down, and Terra's swing had stopped the meter directly at the goal. She had a guilty smile with her shoulders arched up as the game made a loud din of buzzers and horns over her success.  
  
    "Huh, lucky," Samantha chuckled.  
  
    "First bullseye of the night!" The giraffe slashed his hand horizontally through the air. "Let ol' Sam give you a  _big_ prize!"  
  
    "Pardon me?" Samantha narrowed her eyes, putting her hands on her hips.  
  
    "Muh name's Sam!" he said, indicating the name of his stall. "Sam Tangiraffe's Test Your Luck/Strength Type Thingy!" the sign read in whimsical letters.  
      
    "Oh, right," Samantha relaxed a smidgen, folding her arms. "Weird."  
  
    "What's yer favorite color, little foxy girl?" the giraffe asked brightly.  
  
    "Uh, orange?" Terra smiled. The giraffe nodded, and from a nearby tent pulled out an enormous orange, blue-eyed Serendipity plush toy from it. Samantha's eyes bugged; the monstrosity was nearly her size.  
  
    "Holy squash!" Samantha blurted.  
  
    "...Whoa?" Terra winced. "That looks a bit... enormous."  
  
    "I'll carry it," Samantha said quickly and confidently, and "oof"ed as the giraffe gave it to her. She wrestled with it to find a comfortable position, and ended with it balanced on her back. Terra tried not to laugh at the silly sight of the bunny bent a few degrees backward, carrying a ridiculously large plush.  
  
    "I... I can get it, I won it..." Terra offered politely.  
  
    "Yeah, no, I'm already carrying it," Samantha grumbled. "What do you want to do next?"  
  
    "Uh, we should probably get to the car so you can drop this thing off," Terra giggled into her hand. "I know I still have some coins left, but it'd be weird for you to lug that thing around all evening."  
  
    "...Yeah, guess so," Samantha shrugged, and the two headed back to the car.  
  
    "Oh, are you  _kidding_ me!?" Nick's voice came from far off, and Samantha had to smirk as he and Judy approached.  
  
    "Oh hey, Sam!" Judy greeted brightly.  
  
    "Sup?" Samantha smirked. Terra waved.  
  
    "You won a huge Serenidpidoll? You don't even  _like_ Serendipiday," Nick said in an aggravated voice.  
  
    "Ah, annoying a fox," Samantha grunted as she tried to steady the gigantic plush. "One of the finer pleasures in life."  
  
    " _Right_?" Judy laughed. "Speaking of foxes, I see you've brought Terra tonight! That's... unexpected!"  
  
    "Judy," Samantha's humor vanished.  
  
    "It's my first time!" Terra nodded happily. "Can't believe I won something this big already!"  
      
    "Yeah yeah, rub it in," Nick folded his arms, his eyes half-closing.  
  
    "You brought Terra to her first Serendipiday?" Judy looked utterly baffled, but Samantha's intense stare told her not to press the issue. Judy rolled her eyes away from Samantha and over to Nick. "Oh- _kay_ then! Nick, let's go. We still have four coins between us."  
  
    "We're bound to win something," Nick shook his head. "The more we play, the more the odds have to be in our favor. I mean, probability-wise, it'd only make sense for us to win by continuing to play."  
  
    "I'm pretty sure this is how addictions get started, Nick," Judy smirked. "Let's go, hubby-fox." Nick gave a flippant wave to Samantha and Terra as he was dragged off.  
  


* * *

  
    Samantha got back into the car with Terra after all of their coins were exhausted. Samantha let out a small yelp as she saw the enormous form of the Serendipidy plush staring at her from the back seat.  
  
    "Jeez," Samantha rubbed her hand down her face. "That's pretty terrifying, for a bunny."  
  
    "Yeah," Terra laughed nervously. "I uh- I mean your sister Judy can be pretty intimidating too, from what I've heard?"  
  
    "Guess so, she's still just a little sister to me," Samantha shrugged. There was a few minutes of silence. "Hey uh, we put on a pretty good fireworks display at the Hopps Compound. After you drop me off why don't you stick around a bit for the fireworks?"  
  
    "Oh, that sounds cool; fireworks are great!" Terra nodded. Silence descended for a a couple more minutes. Samantha started to become increasingly uncomfortable.  
  
    Night had fallen; and the stars were bright and the sky beautifully untainted by light pollution on the empty country roads.  
  
     _It was a warm night just like this one..._  
      
     _With a vixen driving the car. She was supposed to take me home, but..._  
  
    Samantha's breaths started to unsteady, but she shook her head subtly, as if refusing herself the memory.  
  
    The memories wouldn't be denied.  
  
     _There's a vixen at the driver's wheel RIGHT THIS MOMENT,_ Samantha's mind shouted. _She could take you anywhere and do anything she wants to you. She's a predator! A fox! A VIXEN!_ Samantha's breathing was becoming labored. She turned the radio up a bit louder. The bubbly pop music Terra had decided to inflict on the both of them should drown out her strange breathing.  
      
    Terra's ears flattened. "Uh, isn't that a bit loud for you?"  
  
    "No," Samantha lied, her own ears sitting back as well.  
  
    She wasn't feeling better. Terra sniffed, and she smelled something like intense worry from Samantha. Anxiety clamped onto Terra as well at this, and she shot Samantha a nervous look. Samantha was distractedly toying with her arms and face with her paws; she almost looked like she had a nervous tic.  
  
    "Samantha, are you okay...?" Terra asked weakly.  
  
     _She knows everything! She can smell your fear!_ Samanatha's mind screamed in panic. _Predator! Assaulter! Destroyer! Defiler!_  
  
    "Stop the car!" Samantha yelled suddenly.  
  
    "Wh-what!?" Terra flinched in surprise.  
  
    Samantha roughly smacked the volume knob of the radio to silence it, making Terra yip in panic. She bellowed: "I said _pull over_!"  
  
    Terra complied suddenly, making the car rock as she skidded to a halt on the side of an empty, nondescript road bordered by wheat fields. Samantha fumbled with the belt and unlocked it, and violently throwing the door open, she rushed into one of the fields, doubling over and hyperventilating. Terra remained in her seat, paralyzed with fear. She thought she heard Samantha muttering to herself, but the words were indistinct. A lot of them sounded vulgar. Terra waited an agonizing minute, and swallowing hard, she got out of her car and wandered meekly toward Samantha.  
  
    "Don't get any closer," Samantha warned. "Just go. Go home."  
  
    "Um..." Terra said. "And leave you here?"  
  
    "I'll walk," Samantha said, "I need the walk."  
  
    "It's... it's still a twenty minute _drive_ , though," Terra offered weakly. "It'd take forever for you to get home and yh-you'll miss the fireworks."  
  
    Samantha glared at her. "Shut your  _plucking_ mouth and  _get_ in your car and _leave me ALONE_!" She pointed down the road.  
  
    "Ss-Sammy...?" Terra took a step back.  
  
    " _SAMMY_!?" Samantha spat, the anger in her voice bursting out.  
  
    "Ss-sorry, just slipped," Terra took two more steps back. Samantha remained still. "I'll uh... I'll be quiet; I'll keep the radio off. Jh-will you just let me drive you home? It's the least I can do for you..." Terra shuddered.  
  
    "You think I need  _anything_ from a one-note fox like you!?" Samantha yelled. " _GO_!"  
      
    Terra's mouth dropped open halfway as she took another step and gasped when she backed into the car. Her eyes started to tear up and she mumbled incoherently.  
  
    "I just... jh-just... I uh..." Terra babbled, shaking her head. "Mmh... ngh..." She started to cry. One of Samantha's eyes narrowed and her upper lip curled on one side in distaste.  
  
   _What a weakling. Someone strong like Judy or Nick would snap right back at me,_ Samantha thought angrily. _Violet, even VIOLET would. She'd come up with something that could bite right into my fur like those fox claws-_  
  
    Samantha gasped.  
  
    "Mnh, I don't know what I did wrong..." Terra whimpered, collapsing onto her haunches next to the car. "I don't... I don't know. Just- what did I do? What.... wh-what did I do _wrong_...?" Terra was crying hysterically.  
  
    Instantly, Samantha's own anger was doused and clarity returned to her. Terra yipped and whined as she cried, trembling as she tried to control herself. She struggled to her feet, using the car for balance.  
  
    "I'm sorry, I..." Terra hiccuped. "I thought- I just thought we were hh-having fun... I guess I messed- I did something wrong- ss-sorry..." Terra shivered again and sobbed.  
  
    "You... you didn't do anything wrong," Samantha was slightly disgusted with how calm her voice sounded. She sounded almost robotic. Couldn't she summon one ounce of empathy for that creature?  
  
    "I must've!" Terra protested, coughing. "Hh-how else could I have made you... hh- _hate_ me so much?" She heaved out a sob and sniveled a couple of times. "Mm-'m sorry you had to lug around that stupid plush..."  
  
    "No, no Terra, I'm not upset over something so trivial," Samantha said, holding her hand out.  
  
    "So you  _do_ hate me, then..." Terra sounded empty and defeated.  
  
    "No!" Samantha balled her fists. "Listen... I- just... listen. There's no easy way to say this."  
  
    "Mh?" Terra squeaked pathetically.  
  
    "A vixen..." Samantha sighed, trying to center her breathing. She took several seconds to apply her techniques to remain calm. "A vixen used me. Took advantage of me. I've got scars all over my back to prove it. Want to see? I can show you."  
  
    "Nh-no," Terra shook her head violently. "No." Terra staggered and made an uncomfortable gagging noise, catching herself on the car with her hand. She held up her other hand to wave away Samantha's approach. It looked like Terra would be ill.  
  
    "So yeah, nice 'convenient' excuse," Samantha muttered in disgust, mostly at herself.  
  
    "That's horrible," Terra wiped her eyes. "Just really... monstrous."  
  
    "Yes," the bunny said blankly. "But I didn't need to take it out on you."  
  
    "Why-" Terra started.  
  
    "Because I'm an idiot!" Samantha shouted as she cut Terra off, making her flinch in fear. "Okay? I'm stupid! I thought I was getting  _over_ this thing. I thought I was strong. Apparently I have a long way to go if I can snap at a harmless marshmallow like you!"  
  
    "Nh, no," Terra shook her head. "Not 'why did you yell at me'? Why did you agree to take me to Serendipiday...?"  
  
    "Because I..." Samantha broke herself off. Her mind went completely blank.  
  
    "Why put yourself through that?" Terra's lip wobbled. "Why even  _talk_ to me? I... I didn't know I was hurting you..."  
  
    "No, you- you haven't- you haven't hurt me," Samantha waved her hands side to side. "You're a nice fox." Samantha's jaw didn't quite meet up with her mouth. She looked perplexed, as if she was speaking a foreign language. "Yh-you're a nice fox. Huh."  
  
    "Um...?" Terra looked confused.  
  
    "You're a nice fox, and... and that's why I took you to Serenidpiay," Samantha folded her arms, but figuring that looked too confrontational, she put them on her hips, but thought better of that too and just hung them down at her side. Terra now looked even  _more_ baffled. "So, uh, yeah. That's why." She nodded diagonally while shrugging one of her shoulders, like it was suddenly no big deal.   
  
    "I'm confused, and a little scared," Terra understated.  
  
    "Yeah, well, uh, a tiny little fox like yourself  _should_ be scared, of- of a bunny like me," Samantha didn't know if it was the right time to make a joke, but her adrenaline shooting through her had to be abated somehow. "I know some mean martial arts."  
  
    "Hey uh, I  _can_ still leave you here, y'know, if you want," Terra tried a weak smile as she attempted to return the joke.  
  
    "No no, silly kit fox," Samantha shook her head, getting back in the car. "C'mon, we'll be late for the fireworks."  
  
    "You sure you still want to do this?" Terra tentatively re-entered the car.  
  
    "I'm sure we'll be late if you don't get that tail in gear!" Samantha shouted.  
  


* * *

  
    "Mm..." Terra said serenely, relaxing back on her paws propping her up on a grassy hill. "Those  _were_ nice fireworks."  
  
    "Told ya," Samantha nodded, seated much the same as she was. "Violet organizes a really good show. Which reminds me, she must have laid out a detailed plan beforehand if they still went off without a hitch..."  
  
    "She still feeling bad?" Terra tilted her head.  
  
    "I think so," Samantha shrugged.  
  
    Terra paused. "Are...  _you_ still feeling bad?"  
  
    Samantha thought about this. "Only for blowing up at you tonight."  
  
    "I don't feel like I should blame you," Terra said meekly. "That's an awful thing to have happen to you. If I had known..."  
  
    "Well, that's not the type of thing you tell just _anyone_ ," Samantha chuckled wryly.  
  
    Terra frowned and shook her head. "Yeah, that's fair. I'm 'just anyone', after all..." She looked off to the side.  
  
    "No," Samantha placed her hand delicately on Terra's shoulder. "You're a soft and sweet little kit fox, and the nicest fox I know. That's definitely something special."  
  
    Terra stared blankly at her, then blinked three times. She sniffed only once, then gasped.  
  
    "...Oh, great," Samantha wrinkled her nose.  
  
    "You're... attracted to me?" Terra asked in an awed voice.  
  
    "I am... attracted to foxes, yes, primarily," Samantha said haltingly, looking away from Terra, but only with her eyes. "That's part of how I got into that mess in the first place."  
  
    "But... you're attracted to _me_?" Terra's voice had a nervous giggle. Samantha stared at the kit fox's face, feeling her pulse quicken. That small kit fox face was kind of irresistible to her. Her small features definitely added to her cuteness. And the colors, even in the low light, were quite enchanting. Terra's small smile slowly grew as Samantha seemed to struggle to answer.  
  
    "...I mean, uh, you're not _unattractive_?" Samantha conceded in a stilted voice, looking somewhat defeated.  
  
    Terra's muzzle twisted into a strangely-angled smile. She very slowly chanced to move her muzzle forward, and briefly gave Samantha's nose the lightest of touches with her own. Samantha froze during and after the act, finding her own nose twitching after it was kissed by the small, cold nose of the kit fox. That was definitely the first time a fox had done  _that_ to her. Terra smiled, her tail gently beating against the ground.  
  
    "Okay," Terra said simply, her face warm. Samantha exhaled slowly.  
  
    "So, you're into bunnies, huh?" Samantha coughed.  
  
    "A little," Terra said bashfully. "I told you I might as well have been one."  
  
    "Uh-huh," Samantha muttered.  
  
    The two turned to watch the night sky together. Though the fireworks were over, the ambient light was still low enough that a number of stars could be seen twinkling in the inky darkness.  
  
    "So... out of curiosity,  _can_ I call you Sammy, or..." Terra asked playfully.  
  
    "No," Samantha said curtly.  
  
    "Are you sure...?" Terra's tail wagged faster.  
  
    "No," Samantha repeated.  
  
    "Okay, so you're  _not_ sure if I can call you Sammy or not," Terra declared, holding an index finger up before letting the hand drop back to the ground.  
  
    "Terra..." Samantha grumbled. "Or should I call you 'Terrie'?"  
  
    "I don't mind!" Terra smiled. "If I can call you Sammy!"  
  
    "Aren't you suddenly brave?" Samantha playfully sneered.  
  
    "...Not as brave as you are," Terra said quietly, her tail stilling. Samantha's heart skipped a beat. Those crystal blue eyes were looking at her with admiration she'd never seen from another rabbit, let alone a fox.  
  
    "Yeah, I'm brave," Samantha smirked wryly. "This tiny little kit fox is  _so_ scary."  
  
    "Sammy..." Terra rolled her eyes. "I'm almost as tall as you, not counting our ears, y'know."  
  
    "Hey! I still haven't agreed to that name!" Samantha barked.


	13. Chapter 13

    Waking up the morning after Serendipiday felt a bit different for Samantha. She felt rather nice for a change. She got showered and dressed for the day and headed down to the main kitchen area to get herself a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast. She hung around there, hoping to catch Violet. Eventually, Violet made her way down into the kitchen later than Samantha would have thought, looking bleary-eyed even from behind her glasses.  
  
    "Ah, Vi, how are you?" Samantha asked with a hint of anxiousness at reading Violet's expression.  
  
    "Coffee," Violet replied.  
  
    "I- what?" Samantha blinked.  
  
    "Coffee first," Violet answered, and poured herself a cup from a pot that was available. She mechanically dabbed a little cream and sugar into it, then sipped from it. Immediately, she looked more awake, and sniffed at the coffee with serenity. "Ah, better."  
  
    "There's no way that could have affected you that quickly," Samantha accused.  
  
    "It's psychosomatic," Violet claimed, leaning back on a counter. "So, what was your question?"  
  
    "Just wondering how you're feeling," Samantha said.  
  
    Violet nodded. "Pretty good, thanks for asking. And you?"  
  
    "Yeah, I'm okay," Samantha nodded.  
  
    "So, you took Terra to Serendipiday of your own volition, huh?" Violet sipped more coffee. "I can't say I expected that."  
  
    "I- what!?" Samantha's eyes widened. "How do you know that already? I thought you were holed up in your room all day!"  
  
    "Well, I did have to eat," Violet said calmly. "And it was all the buzz around home. 'Sam went to Serendipiday with a fox'. Lots of bunnies were in gossip mode."  
  
    "Ugh, great," Samantha rolled her fiery brown eyes. "I was hoping to not have to get comeuppance for this for at  _least_ a day."  
  
    "In  _this_ family? Yeah, that's a nice _thought_ ," Violet chuckled. She looked off into the distance, wrapping her free hand around her midsection while she held her coffee out in an aloof way. "Didn't expect for you to be kissing her already, though."  
  
    "Kh! Kissing!?" Samantha sputtered, seeing a few Hopps heads turn to look at her and giggle. She felt her breath quicken. "I wasn't  _kissing_ her!"  
  
    "That's not what I heard," Violet said. "Some of the younger kits on the hill saw you with Terra, watching the fireworks."  
      
    "That was just-" Samantha shook her head, waving her hands back and forth. "That was just like a tiny nose-to-nose thing!"  
  
    "Mm, cute," Violet half-smiled, flinching in amusement.  
  
    "Rgh!" Samantha ran her hands through her ears. "I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea...!"  
  
    "Isn't that basically the point of gossip?" Violet chuckled. "But no, anyway, I think that's great. It's really nice."  
  
    "Sure, ah, I'll- I'll catch you later, Vi," Samantha mumbled, waving at her absently. She walked forward, heading toward the main hall, seeing more and more bunnies looking at her. How had everyone heard already? Why did people care so much? It was  _just_ a fox!  
  
    Just a fox...?  
  
    Samantha exited the compound and walked to one of the vehicles in their parking area. Taking the keys out of her pocket, she started the car and, thinking for a few moments, drove off into town.  
  


* * *

  
    Samantha entered the bookstore and quickly saw Terra behind the counter. Again, the kit fox was deeply engrossed in some sort of graphic novel. The colors on this particular one were a bit more floral and pastel than the last time. Samantha took a breath and walked up to the counter.  
  
    "Terra?"  
  
    "Bwagh!" Terra started in surprise and involuntarily tossed the graphic book up a few inches. She fumbled for it, caught it, and quickly put it behind the counter out of sight. "Samantha! Uh, hi!"  
  
    "Hey," Samantha raised an eyebrow. "What were- what were you reading?"  
  
    "Nothing! No, that was nothing, haha..." Terra grinned with transparent nervousness and ran a paw over her head fur. "How are you?"  
  
    "Pretty okay," Samantha nodded. Her stomach started to feel uncomfortable. "Listen, um... about last night..."  
  
    "Uh huh...?" Terra nodded eagerly.  
  
    Samantha held a hand out. "I uh- I don't want you to read too much into it, okay?"  
  
    "Oh, okay...?" Terra tilted her head to the left a few degrees.  
  
    "I mean, you're a nice fox and all, like I said, right?" Samantha let loose a terse, uncomfortable laugh. "Yeah, like I said. You're great. So uh..."  
  
    Terra didn't say anything in response. Samantha saw her swallow and blink twice.  
  
    "Anyway, I'll see you at the next book meet, right?" Samantha asked with enthusiasm.  
  
    "Yeah, sure!" Terra said, matching the tone.  
  
    "Okay, so... see you then," Samantha waved and moved deeper into the store. Curious, she looked at the graphic novel section and tried to find the cover that matched what she thought she remembered Terra reading. Picking a suspect one off the shelf, she flipped through it. It appeared to be an inter-species romance graphic novel between a female cougar and a deer doe. Samantha felt a strange mix of worry and amusement.  
  
    "Oh," Samantha laughed lightly.  
  
    The bunny made her way back out of the store, stopping to wave goodbye to Terra. Though Terra was no longer looking at the graphic novel, she looked distracted, maybe even a little glum. She perked up when she saw Sam waving and returned the wave. Samantha headed home.  
  


* * *

  
    Later that day, Samantha headed to the gym, feeling the desire to work out. She was surprised to see Violet blocking the entrance, her arms folded tightly across her chest. Violet looked more irritated than Samantha had ever seen the gray-and-white bunny before.  
  
    "Vi? What's up?" Samantha wondered.  
  
    "Coming here to break some sandbags after you're finished breaking hearts?" Violet asked darkly, judgement plastered all over her face.  
  
    "Uh, are you feeling okay, Violet?" Samantha blinked. "Are you  _sure_ you took your meds?"  
  
    "Yes, I'm sure!" Violet yelled. She poked Samantha in the chest with her forefinger. "Just what's your deal, huh?"  
  
    "What are you talking about!?" Samantha held her hands out wide.  
  
    "Terra called me after her shift; she was in tears!" Violet tilted her head, looking at her sister angrily. "She told me that you came to the bookstore and said that last night didn't mean anything to you!"  
  
    "Wha- I uh!?" Samantha shrugged helplessly. "I just told her not to read too much into it, that's all!"   
  
    "Yeah, okay," Violet nodded bitterly. "So you just gave her one of the nicest, most meaningful nights of fun she ever had, then slapped her paw away from it, telling her it was nothing."  
  
    "Vi!" Samantha held out her hands again. "It was  _just_ Serendipiday...!"  
  
    "Yeah, to _you_ , maybe," Violet narrowed her eyes. She scoffed loudly and turned around, slicing an arm in the air front of herself. "I'm losing my patience with you, Samantha. Your recovery or whatever can take as long as you want it to, but I'm drawing the line at you hurting others along the way."  
  
    "Wh-what do you _mean_!?" Samantha was feeling desperate and confused. "I haven't hurt anyone- a fox hurt _me_!"  
  
    "You hurt Terra," Violet turned her head to sneer at her. "Just a few words, and you hurt her. She's not like you, Judy, or even me. She's delicate. You can't just-"  
  
    "Listen, Violet!" Samantha's brow fell and she summoned some anger of her own, frustration bubbling up in her chest. "I never asked for Terra, okay!? I never  _asked_ to be helplessly attracted to foxes! Why should I be? Why do I have to be attracted to a mammal who's hurt me!? I don't want to be- why can't I just find some stupid bunny  _buck_ attractive? Why should I have to carry this curse?"  
  
    "Terra hasn't done a thing to you," Violet said in a low, dark voice. "You should treat her with more care."  
  
    "Terra was all  _your_ idea!" Samantha stabbed a finger through the air at Violet. "She was all  _your_ meddling! You admitted that to me yourself yesterday! I didn't  _ask_ for you to try to set me up with some-"  
  
    "Do you honestly think I'm a _simpleton_ , Samantha!?" Violet wasn't backing down, her teeth flashing in irritation. "Before I tried pushing you two together, I learned more about her as a person and how you two might compliment each other. You- you work well together! That's why the gossip is spreading so quickly!" Violet held her arms toward Sam, palm up.  
  
    "So that's what this is, then?" Samantha narrowed her eyes. "I'm still being used as a pawn by you in this little social game you've organized."  
  
    Violets pupils shrank and a look of nearly wild anger passed over her mouth, leaving her mouth a grimace. "Here's an idea, Samantha! Try thinking about someone other than yourself for once!"  
  
    Samantha actually took a step back at that. She blinked. "Excuse me...?"  
  
    "Yes, you're hurt, and I know that," Violet clenched her fists. "But there's a fox out there who needs someone too, and so far no one has stepped up to the plate!"  
  
    "She told me there's never been a bad thing that has happened to her in her life!" Samantha protested, sweeping her hand out in front of her. "How could she possibly relate-"  
  
    "She's had nothing bad happen before. Until now," Violet narrowed one eye. "Until a bunny she admired seemed to offer the idea that someone had finally accepted her and then just as quickly yanked that idea away and left her lonesome again. Until someone dared her to dream that she might be special to someone, and then made her wake up and go back to her monotonous existence again."  
  
    Samantha didn't know what to say. "I uh... I'm sorry, I didn't know this meant so much to her."  
  
    "Puh! Don't apologize to _me_!" Violet placed her hands on her chest, bending over a little. "Apologize to Terra! Though I can't say if she might want to talk to you at this point."  
  
    "I didn't know she'd take it so hard... I barely said anything to her at the bookstore," Samantha said weakly.  
  
    "Then start saying more things," Violet declared. "Preferably about how you're sorry for leading her on if you don't intend to try to make something work between you two."  
  
    "I..." Samantha's thoughts were spinning. She didn't know what to do.  
  
    "Don't play with her heart," Violet said firmly. "Break things off, break her heart if you have to, but don't toy with her." Violet briskly turned to walk away. She looked over her shoulder. "I thought it'd help... I imagine you two looked nice together." She shrugged and walked away.      
  
    Samantha stood there, dumbfounded, and then quickly brought up her contacts on her phone. There was one convenient thing about Terra; her number was above all of the rest of the Hopps. There it was: Terra Brownfurred. Samantha hesitated. Should she call her? Should she text? Texting was impersonal, but she didn't want to hear Terra if she was really broken up. Wait no, that was selfish. The thought of Terra being upset over something Samantha might have done to her quickly started to gnaw at the bunny in a way that surprised and alarmed her. She should make it right between them.  
  
     _Stop thinking of only your comfort,_ Samantha admonished herself, nodding, then pressing the button.  
  
    Every ring was like a bolt of anxiety into her stomach, but finally, she picked up.  
  
    "H'lo? Sam?" Terra's voice sounded somewhere between confused and despondent.  
  
    "Hi! Terra, hi..." Samantha's voice launched into almost frenzied, anxious cheerfulness, but she quickly reined it in to adopt a more natural tone. "Uhm... so hi. How are you?"  
  
    "I'm okay," Terra said vaguely.   
  
    "I... Violet talked to me," Samantha said.  
  
    "Oh..." Terra replied. She heard a cough, and a sniffle.  
  
    "Terra, I'm sorry," Samantha said genuinely. "I didn't know Serendipiday would mean that much to you. I can understand if you don't want to see me again or do the book club thing..."  
  
    "Huh?" Terra asked. "Why wouldn't I...?"  
  
    "Just cause... I'm kind of a wreck...?" Samantha groaned. "First you had me blow up at you last night and then you had me being inconsiderate to you today... I'm just really sorry."  
  
    "I uh..." Terra sounded a bit lost. "...Are you trying to get rid of me?"  
  
    "What?" Samantha unexpectedly felt another bolt of panic. "What, no no no!"  
  
    "I kinda- I like you, Sam..." Terra admitted quietly. "You're so strong... I want someone like you in my life. I just-... you know."  
  
    "I was only saying that I- I hoped me being so... y'know, weird and broken... doesn't- doesn't put you off," Samantha said dejectedly. "Don't you think you deserve someone better than that?"  
  
    "I don't know what I deserve," Terra said blankly. "I... I only know what I _want_."  
  
    Samantha felt her heart flutter. "Me...?"  
  
    "I uh..." Terra's voice faltered. "I can still see you again, right...?"  
  
    "Let's meet up tomorrow!" Samantha burst out suddenly. "Yeah, you wanna come over here? Maybe for dinner? I can apologize in person and it'll be great! Everything will be fine!"  
  
    "Tomorrow?" Terra seemed to think. "I dunno, I was just over there."  
  
    "Oh..." Samantha winced. Had she blown it?  
  
    She heard a tiny giggle, then a sniffle. "I was just kidding. I'd love to come over."  
  
    "Great, great!" Samantha said, relief flushing through her. She let out an exhausted sigh. "In the future, please tell me if I hurt your feelings, okay? I didn't- I didn't intend to."  
  
    "It's okay, hehe, I know I'm kind of fragile, delicate... I've heard them all," Terra sniffled again. "Thanks for... giving me a try, I guess? I dunno, are we kind of a thing now?"  
  
    "I... well, if you went by the Hopps family gossip, we are," Samantha rolled her eyes.   
  
    "Well, how do you feel about that...?" Terra wondered.  
  
    "...Just that I really want to see that cute face of yours tomorrow?" Samantha asked tentatively.  
  
    "I can deal with that..." Terra sounded happier. "That means I'll get to see your pretty bunny face."  
  
    "Pretty?" Samantha blinked in confusion. She heard a giggle, then the kit fox hung up. Samantha sat down hard on the ground, sighing in relief, though she still felt nervous. Turning her head, she saw Violet reappear and slowly move to join her, sitting next to her.  
  
    "Hi," Violet said simply. "Guess I'll be washing this skirt soon."  
  
    "Were you eavesdropping?" Samantha was a bit too drained to be angry.  
  
    "I heard you say 'Terra' right before I was out of earshot," Violet admitted. "Figured I might as well."  
  
    "You're ridiculous," Samantha pushed Violet lightly. Violet let herself rock from the force. "...Thanks."  
  
    "For what?" Violet mumbled.  
  
    "For being there," Samantha sighed, wiggling her feet a little. "For trying to keep me on the right track. And I'm sorry I didn't think more about Terra. I was nervous... what everyone would say, would I be a hypocrite? I'm just a little- maybe a _lot..._ confused."  
  
    "Let me be honest," Violet sighed. "People are complicated. Terra seems nice but... I can't tell you if she's really the 'right track' for you. I... I just have a good feeling about her. I know that's not much conciliation."  
  
    "Well, like I said before, Violet," Samantha smiled. "Sometimes it's not about logic."  
  
    Violet nodded diagonally, and Samantha put an arm around her shoulder. Violet scooted closer and returned the gesture.  
  
    "I'm still not a huggy person," Violet noted.  
  
    "No, you're not," Samantha chuckled.


	14. Chapter 14

    Samantha warned a lot of the little ones to make sure they didn't bother their incoming guest, but she couldn't get to them all before the front door opened and Terra arrived.  
  
    "Terra's here again!"  
    "Whoa! She was just here a coupla days ago!"  
    "She didn't bring her comics!?"  
    "Or graphic novels?"  
  
    Terra yelped as she was beset by the fluffle, but Timothy appeared to help scoot them away.  
  
    "You kits move along now, she's not here to play with you today," Timothy said softly. Gentleness tended to work well on the fluffle for whatever reason; it had always been Stu's strategy to get them to calm down.  
  
    "Aww..."  
    "But... but it's Terra!"  
  
    "Hi," Samantha greeted the kit fox. Terra smiled and waved.  
  
    "Hi, Sam," Terra said fondly.  
  
    Samantha put her hands in her pockets, rocking forward a little. "So uh, do you want to maybe get out of the house and walk around so we could talk?"  
  
    "That sounds nice," Terra nodded. The two turned to leave the compound but saw Ivory standing in the way of the front door. The albino bunny looked over the two with her arms folded in an aloof manner.  
  
    "Ivory?" Samantha's voice had the hint of a warning.  
  
    "Hey, Sam," Ivory said. "Listen, uh. I don't know what's gotten into you, this thing with you and a fox." Samantha fought the urge to sneer.  
  
    "Is it any of your business?" Samantha challenged.  
  
    "No," Ivory shook her head. "I just... I didn't think you were at Nick and Judy's wedding, is all."  
  
    "I wasn't," Samantha confirmed.  
  
    "Really?" Ivory tilted her head. "It was nice. Really nice. Got me to think about foxes and their cultures differently. So I guess I'm just surprised to see you with a fox since you didn't get that perspective."  
  
    "How'd they do the wedding?" Terra wondered.  
  
    "Oh, if neither of you have seen it you should watch the video sometime," Ivory shrugged. "It was neat; blended both fox and bunny traditions. It was more touching than  _my_ wedding, ill-fated as it was." Her voice was a near-bitter mutter. "Anyway, I think it's pretty cool that you're doing whatever with this fox, Sam."  
  
    "Thanks, but not to be rude..." Samantha cleared her throat. "Could you maybe move aside? I want to take Terra away before the fluffle regroups."  
  
    "Oh, sure," Ivory moved aside. "Hey, are you staying for dinner? Mom's making her casserole."   
  
    "Do you like vegetables at all?" Samantha looked over at Terra.  
  
    "Sure!" Terra nodded. "I got a taste for them back when I was trying to fit in with bunnies."  
  
    "It'll rekindle your love for vegetables all over again," Ivory boasted. "Nick goes crazy over it."  
  
    "Nick's a vegetarian anyway," Samantha said. "Let's go, Terra."  
  
    The two walked out towards the Hopps apple orchard.  
  
    "Who's this Nick guy? A fox, I'm guessing?" Terra wondered, a paw on her chin.  
  
    "Mm hm, the one from Serendipiday actually, remember?" Samantha nodded. A look of realization passed over Terra with her mouth slightly open and she nodded in return. "He caused a small schism in the family when he and my sister Judy stated dating. I'm sorry to say I was on the 'disapproving' side."  
  
    "You've been through some horrible things," Terra frowned. "I can't... I don't think I can really empathize with you so well, but I certainly can't blame you."  
      
    "I can't just excuse my poor behavior with my trauma all the time, though," Samantha shook her head. She stopped walking by an apple tree, and Terra stopped in turn. "That's why I just want to apologize again for what I've done. I... I've made you cry two days in a row now, and I'd prefer not to make it three for three."  
  
    Terra giggled gently. "Don't take it too hard if I do cry. I'm a marshmallow, like you said."  
  
    "I want to do better, though," Samantha cautiously touched Terra's paw with hers. "For you."  
  
    "Wh-for me?" Terra blinked.  
  
    "I think you're worth it," Samantha nodded.   
  
    "Tch, come on," Terra pulled away from her. "I'm just a bookish geek working an average job."  
  
    "I kinda like that, though," Samantha shrugged. "You being a fox is a plus, too."  
  
    "Is it?" Terra winced. "I get the feeling this all would be easier if I was a bunny."  
  
    "I'm uh...  _really_ attracted to foxes is the thing," Samantha looked a bit sheepish. Terra smiled shyly. Samantha nodded up toward a tree. "Hey, do you like apples? I could launch myself up this tree in a blink and grab you one."  
  
    "While I don't doubt that, I probably shouldn't spoil dinner," Terra smiled, adding a giggle. "That's one of the reasons I'm attracted to you. You're really strong and tough, and um... that toned look you have is pretty hot..." Terra's ears blushed and she looked away.  
  
    "Really?" Samantha huffed in amusement. "So, if I were to do this..." She knelt, twisting her midsection to the side and holding both of her arms in arches, flexing her arms to try to show off her slight, but visible musculature.  
  
    "Aah, _stop_...!" Terra waved her hands. "Don't try to turn me on out here! There's at least three bunnies watching!"  
  
    "Huh?" Samantha straightened up and looked around and saw bunny ears flatten as they tried to turn away. "Oy, of course. Never a moment of peace here."  
  
    "So... um... I don't want to push you too fast, but..." Terra pet down one of her arms, twisting on her waist this way and that. "Are we... girlfriends, now?"  
  
    "Well we're definitely girls that are friends," Samantha smirked. "But..." The bunny's ears perked up as she walked closer to the kit fox, placing a paw on her cheek and leaning in for a small kiss. Terra looked shocked after this action, breathing in so faintly it was inaudible even to Sam's ears. Sam closed her eyes, savoring how the kiss made her feel. "Yeah, I think we're girlfriends..."  
  
    "Mm...!" Terra smiled widely.  
  
    "Wow, Sam  _definitely_ kissed Terra this time!" a bunny's voice proclaimed off in the distance.  
  
    "For crying out loud," Samantha rolled her eyes, her ears flattening.  
  
    "You want to head back?" Terra pointed at the compound. "Maybe we could read the kits a story before dinner."  
  
    "As if they deserve that," Samantha smirked, but then shrugged and nodded. "We could get one of their storybooks, yeah. Do you want me to play a dragon again?" Samantha hunched up her shoulders and hooked her fingers.  
  
    Terra gave a small, coy smile. She sighed pleasantly. "No. I'd rather you play a heroine this time."  
  


* * *

  
    Over the next few weeks, things began to progress between Samantha and Terra. The kit fox was invited over more frequently to the Hopps compound and found little resistance from the rest of the Hopps clan. Rumor gave way to gossip, and then just plain fact: Samantha was dating that kit fox. Still no one seemed to know why Samantha had disliked foxes in the first place, and a few gave her a hard time about being with a fox now, but it was mostly good-natured.  
  
    As time went on, Samantha was quickly tiring of Terra being hot gossip around the compound. She began to desire more privacy with her new girlfriend so she could attempt to display her growing affection for the little fox without any nosy onlookers around.  
  
    "Are you  _sure_ this is okay?" Terra opened the door to her apartment on one particular evening after she got home from work; the cream-and-white bunny standing behind her. Samantha looked inside briefly. It was a bit cluttered, and even from the entry she could see shelves full of graphic novels and a few posters of the fox's favorite fictional series. "Sorry about the mess, hehe."  
  
    "Of course this is okay," Samantha rushed into the apartment as if she was diving into a pool of ice water. She thrust her arms down firmly. "See? I'm already inside. There's absolutely nothing that could freak me out about being- oh _cheese us_!" Samantha turned her head and jumped backwards, flailing as she saw the giant form of the Serendipiday plush Terra had won staring at her. "You still have that thing!?"  
  
    "Well, of course!" Terra laughed at Samantha's reaction, closing the door. "A reminder of the first night my girlfriend shared with me!"  
  
    "Marred though it was..." Samantha grumbled.  
  
    "Oh, don't worry about that," Terra flicked her paw dismissively. "You want anything to drink? Maybe a wine cooler?"  
  
    "Just water, if you would," Samantha said, watching Terra's tail sway casually as she went off. Samantha became keenly aware of the smell in the apartment. Everything smelled like fox. Her nose twitched in both apprehension and the mere fact that she wanted to take it in. Terra's scent.  
  
    "Everything okay?" Terra asked curiously as she offered Samantha the water, knowing the import of a bunny's twitching nose.   
  
    "Yeah, it's just..." Samantha sat down on the couch. "It's just that everything here smells like fox, you know?"  
  
    "Oh um, I guess it _would_ ," Terra looked around. "Is that bad? I can spray down some odor-blocker, maybe..."  
  
    "No no, it's... actually kind of the opposite," Samantha said, quickly downing the water. "I like the smell of fox..."  
  
    "Oh!" Terra suddenly looked bashful again. "Okay then." Terra sat down on an armchair next to the couch.  
  
    "C'mon, what are you doing, Terra?" Samantha shook her head reprovingly. She beckoned, patting the couch next to her, and the kit fox nervously joined her on the couch. "Are you scared?"  
  
    "What? No! Who's scared? You're scared!" Terra rolled her eyes. "C'mon, it's all over your nose and scent."  
  
    "Well, bunny excitement does smell a bit like fear," Samantha smirked. "Hope it doesn't bother you."  
  
    "No, it's okay!" Terra said quickly.  
  
    Samantha smiled, looking down. "Your tail's wagging up a storm there."  
  
    "I've just... never been with someone I liked, alone and all," Terra said shyly. "I'm not quite sure what happens now."  
  
    "Whatever we want, I'd guess," Samantha leaned in to kiss Terra's neck, and got a winsome little yip for her trouble. She scooted closer, offering more kisses to the shy kit fox; over her face, cheeks, and nose. This did nothing to quell Terra's thrashing tail. Samantha was enchanted by the kit fox's little yips and trilling sounds of delight as the bunny supplied more exploring kisses and pets over what fur Terra had exposed on her throat and arms.   
  
    Hesitantly, almost awkwardly, Terra tried kissing Samantha a few times as well. Samantha closed her eyes during the kisses to focus her trust and submission to these acts, repeating into her mind that the little fox wouldn't hurt her. She murmured in pleasure as Terra tentatively licked at her cheeks and neck. The fox was so tender and pleasant; much more than that other creature had ever been. Samantha felt her body respond as if Terra was the key to her lock. Samantha engaged her in a deeper, more passionate kiss, which Terra squeaked into.  
  
    Terra panted faintly after the kiss and then smiled shyly after gaining control of her breath again. Samantha grinned at her.  
  
    "You're a little delight, hmm?" Samantha cooed. It felt so good to be in control of the situation. She could go wherever she wanted to with that kit fox.  
  
    "Th-thank you... you're really...  _really_ sexy..." Terra said breathlessly, almost mesmerized.   
  
    "Well, if you think so, maybe I should do a little something like..." Samantha sat up and crossed her hands in front of her shirt, preparing to take it off. Terra started as if wrested from a spell.  
  
    "Wh-wait! _Wait_!" Terra sat bolt upright. She swallowed hard. "Um... wait. I think... I think we're going a little fast."  
  
    "Huh?" Samantha froze, her arms still crossed. "What's wrong, Terra? I'm okay with showing you my body if you're okay with seeing it."  
  
    "I..." Terra winced, her teeth all on display. "This is going to sound horrible, but I don't think I'm ready to see... see you. Especially not your... your back?"  
  
    Samantha released her shirt. "Oh, okay." She tried not to let too much disappointment infect her voice.  
  
    "I'm so sorry..." Terra squeezed her eyes shut. "I just... I think seeing how a fox hurt you might... it might make me feel sick to my stomach. And I... I wouldn't want to ruin our- our first time or... whatever you want to call it, with that."  
  
    "Okay, I understand," Samantha got a hold of her emotions and nodded. "It's okay, Terra. We can go slower." It felt so strange for the bunny to be in total control of the situation, but she realized she had the opportunity to be  _better_ than that other vixen in this case and treat her little fox lover with care. She subtly nodded as she focused this thought into her mind.  
  
    "I'm sorry, Sam," Terra shook her head. "I hope we can work up to it, or something..."  
  
    "It's okay, Terra," Samantha hugged her gently. "I've waited this long for you; I can be patient."  
  
    "Wow, that feels really nice..." Terra said, at both the hug and the sentiment.  
  
    "Do you want me to go?" Samantha asked after the hug, tilting her head.   
  
    "No! No..." Terra shook her head violently. "Please stay. Just... I actually... kind of wanted to try something?"  
  
    "Oh?" Samantha felt a flash of worry.  
  
    "How would you feel about um... sleeping together?" Terra said, then gasped at the implication as Samantha chuckled. "I mean like...  _sleep_ sleep."  
  
    "With someone else? I've never tried that, really," Samantha shrugged, wearing a small smile.  
  
    "Me either, but I've always wanted to," Terra admitted sheepishly, her eyes not meeting Samantha's.   
  
    "Don't worry, I'll leave my shirt on," Samantha said automatically.  
  
    "I wasn't going to say it, but..." Terra cringed. "Thank you."  
  
    "What do you like to sleep in?" Samantha asked. Terra got up, beckoning, and the bunny followed her to her bedroom, where there was a bed actually a few sizes too big for the fox.   
  
    "I like having a big bed," Terra smiled. "Feels nice and cozy."  
  
    "I meant clothes," Samantha laughed.  
  
    "Oh! Oh," Terra nodded. "Just standard sleep clothes... shorts and a loose top."  
  
    "Would it be weird to ask if I could see you change?" Samantha wondered. Terra blinked.  
  
    "Uh... sure!" Terra chirped. "I mean, no it wouldn't be weird. I mean... uh- I'm just going to do it." Terra gulped nervously. Samantha sat on the bed, watching her. Terra crossed her arms and lifted off her shirt, revealing more of the kit fox's colorful fur. Terra looked for Samantha's approval, and saw her amber eyes searching over the newly-exposed fur with muted thirst.  
  
    Next, Terra took off her shorts, less gracefully than she would have liked, causing Samantha to giggle a bit, and she stood before her in just some white cotton panties. Though it felt like cheating, Terra knew that Samantha was reacting favorably to the sight. Her pupils dilated, her smell strengthened, and her breaths were coming just the slightest bit quicker. Swallowing, Terra decided to try stretching, closing her eyes and folding her arms behind her head as she got up on tip-toes. She heard Samantha gasp.  
  
    "Oh God... you're gorgeous," Samantha said in wonderment, humming in delight and biting her lip. Terra brightened at this, fighting the desire to burst into a girlish giggle, which definitely would have undermined the display in her opinion. "You don't...  _have_ to dress in your night clothes, do you...?"  
  
    "Well, it's not fair for me to be mostly nude and demand that you keep your shirt on," Terra said matter-of-factually, dressing in her night clothes.  
  
    "Can I at least take my jeans off?" Samantha asked. Terra nodded, her eyes magnetized to the toned bunny legs going all the way up to her hips and panties. Samantha chuckled as she saw Terra's tail tip wag. Terra joined her in bed, and the two snuggled up. "It's a little bit hot to use the covers, I think."  
  
    Terra hummed her agreement. "I'm- I feel kind of nervous."  
  
    "I'm pretty sure I can  _hear_ your heartbeat," Samantha nodded. "Just relax. Though yeah, easier said than done when you're holding a hot bunny like me, huh?"  
  
    "Oh hush," Terra cuddled in. "I know you think I'm hot, too."  
  
    "That's right," Samantha laughed. "Maybe it'll be awhile before I can sleep, too."  
  
    But surprisingly enough, it wasn't. The two were already emotionally taxed, and they started to focus on each others soft breathing. Before long both of them were asleep. It was the most pleasant sleep that Samantha could remember having.  
  


* * *

  
    The next evening, Samantha found herself standing in front of an entirely different apartment, one she had never been to before. She triple-checked the address and sighed.   
  
    "Well, here goes nothing," Samantha said to herself, and knocked guardedly.   
  
    "Who's there?" Judy's voice called out from behind the door.  
  
    "Samantha," she replied.  
  
    " _Sam_?" Judy opened the door, dressed in lounging clothes and her collar. "What... what are you doing here?"  
  
    "I kind of wanted some advice," Samantha said.   
  
    "You traveled over two hundred miles for _advice_?" Judy narrowed her eyes. "You came all the way to _Zootopia_?"  
  
    "Well? Can I have some advice or not?" Samantha smirked. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"  
  
    "No, no, come in," Judy said, opening the door and sweeping her hand into the apartment. "I'm just surprised, is all!"  
  
    "I need some fox... fox- fox advice..." Samantha's eyes widened as she saw Nick. He was wearing nothing but lime green sleep shorts. His lithe, orange-red and peach-furred midsection was bare for Samantha's eyes to look over, and she was again keenly aware that she was attracted to foxes.  
  
    "Nick, put a shirt on," Judy muttered, her eyes half-lidding as she didn't even look at him.  
  
    "Yes ma'am!" Nick replied, marching with an exaggerated jauntiness into their bedroom. Judy scoffed at her husband and reached at her neck to take off her collar.  
  
    "You can leave that on," Samantha insisted.  
  
    "I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, Sam," Judy returned, continuing to fiddle with the clasp.  
  
    "Just leave it on, okay?" Samantha snapped. "I'm trying to get better about things like this; I don't need you to treat me with kit gloves!"  
  
    "Wow, you two are definitely sisters," Nick said as he came out of the bedroom.  
  
    "Oh my God..." Samantha breathed out in a whisper. Judy turned her head to look at Nick, and turned her head back with her eyes squinted shut and a look of despair on her mouth. Nick was wearing a shirt with cartoon bunnies and carrots all over it, with a playful purple and lavender color scheme.  
  
    "Nick, take your shirt back off," Judy grumbled. "Why do you even  _have_ that ugly thing?"  
  
    "Annoying bunnies is one of life's greatest pleasures," Nick wiggled his eyebrows, wearing the smuggest simper Samantha had ever seen.  
  
    "Ignore him," Judy suggested.   
  
    "So, how's the marriage?" Samantha asked dryly.  
  
    "Couldn't be better," Judy smirked in return. "Seriously though, for as goofy as he is, I really do love the guy."  
  
    "Aww..." Nick droned in a playful mocking tone. Judy picked up a throw pillow to throw at Nick, and he let it hit him with a chuckle.  
  
    "So, you said you were here for  _fox_ advice?" Judy's eyebrows turned up. "Is everything okay?"  
  
    "Yeah, I dunno if you've heard, but I'm... I'm kinda dating Terra now?" Samantha winced.  
  
    "Ooh, I  _did_ hear!" Judy brightened up, bouncing a bit on the couch. "Tell me everything! Wait, are there any problems?"  
  
    "Sort of..." Samantha sat next to her, and Nick took up a gargoyle-like position with his feet on the seat of an armchair near the couch, hugging the throw pillow to his chest to block most of the offensively stupid shirt.  
  
    "Well?" Judy sat forward, engaged.  
  
    "Things got a bit... intimate between us yesterday," Samantha admitted, and Judy looked even more interested, her eyes opening wider. "But... it fizzled. Terra said she wasn't ready... she wasn't ready to see where a fox had hurt me."  
  
    "Oh, that's understandable," Judy flicked her paw forward. "She doesn't want to hurt you like that other fox did. From what I heard, she's a sweetie-pie. She's probably just scared of going too fast."  
  
    "I'm worried she thinks the scars will be too off-putting," Samantha frowned. "I'm not sure what to do."  
  
    "Have you told her you love her yet?" Nick asked abruptly.  
  
    "Huh?" Samantha turned to look at him. "I... no, I haven't."  
  
    " _Do_ you love her?" Judy wondered.  
  
    "I..." Samantha trailed off, and let the feelings of being with Terra briefly wash over her. "Yes, I do."  
  
    "Tell her, then!" Judy encouraged. "She needs to hear that. She needs to hear she's special."  
  
    "Wait, Judy," Nick said, holding up a paw. "You need to make a moment for her before you tell her."  
  
    "A moment?" Samantha repeated.  
  
    "That is, if she's a typical fox like me," Nick shrugged, standing up and flinging the pillow at Judy, who caught it with a defensive smirk. "Has she kept anything that reminds her of you?"  
  
    "Maybe that huge Serendipity plush?" Samantha considered.  
  
    "Oh, only  _that_ thing," Nick rolled his eyes. "I guess she's a typical fox after all." Nick chuckled, retreating into the bedroom again.  
  
    "What's he talking about?" Samantha asked Judy.  
  
    "Just wait, Nick has to be dramatic about this kind of thing," Judy shook her head, rolling her eyes.  
  
    "Take it from a fox," Nick said dramatically, standing in the bedroom's doorway and flicking a coin up, catching it with a swipe of his paw. "We foxes  _love_ symbols."  
  
    "Wow, you weren't kidding," Samantha narrowed an eye.  
  
    Nick flicked the coin at Samantha, who flinched, but caught it with both hands. "What is that, Sam?"  
  
    "It's..." Samantha looked down at it. "It's a Serendipiday coin from a few years ago."  
  
    "Right," Nick pointed at her. "But it's  _also_ the last coin that Judy refused to use the first time she took me to Serendipiday. She kept it, giving it to me the day after, telling me it was a symbol of her taking a chance on me." Judy grinned fondly at the memory.   
  
    "Huh..." Samantha looked at the coin and saw nothing extraordinary about it. Nick walked by and Samantha gave it back to him. "I can't say I'm too good at coming up with gifts..."  
  
    "Doesn't have to be a gift, Sam," Nick shook his head. "Just has to be a moment, something she'll treasure." Samantha looked at Judy.  
  
    "Hey, he's the fox," Judy shrugged. "I'd listen to him before me about this."  
  
    "Yeah, trust me; been a fox all my life," Nick shoved a thumb into his ugly shirt. "If she's a sweetie-pie like Judy says, she'll probably be even more touched by whatever you end up doing. Then, when her face softens in just such a way, you have to hit her with the 'I love you'." Nick snapped, making Samantha flinch. "Then she's yours."  
  
    "If this actually works... I don't think I deserve such advice, coming from you," Samantha looked with a very guilty smile at Nick.  
  
    "Hey, I remain un-stabbed, and you've got a fox girlfriend," Nick held up a paw, closing his eyes. "So, a sister-in-law in need is a sister-in-law indeed."  
  
    "You're _un-stabbed_?" Judy burst out, straightening up, her collar jingling from the motion. "Samantha!?"  
  
    "He's right; I've never stabbed him," Samantha said vaguely. Judy gave an incredulous look to Nick, who just shrugged one of his signature shrugs, which meant he'd say nothing more on the matter.  
  
    "Okay, that's not going to be the end of _that_ ," Judy warned, pointing at Nick.   
  
    "What's she look like, anyway?" Nick wondered, casually changing the subject. Samantha was embarrassed as she didn't have too many pictures of the kit fox, but she did have a couple of good ones. She picked out one on her phone. The picture was of her reading to other kits congregated around her. "The heck? She's way too cute."  
  
    "Nick, are you  _allowed_ to call other foxes cute?" Judy asked playfully. Nick shrugged, and nodded.  
  
    "She's really cute," Samantha nodded, looking adoringly at the picture. "She's like a glass gem. Delicate, but something I want to protect. Does that sound weird?" Judy and Nick shared a smile and shook their heads while Samantha looked for their reaction. She paused and smiled. "She's... like a puppy..."  
  
    "Ooh..." Nick winced. "I'd get permission before using  _that_ one."  
  
    "Okay," Samantha laughed. "Anyway, I guess I should go and leave you two to... whatever."  
  
    "Let me know how it goes," Nick said airily. "I'll need to shove into Judy's face how right and awesome I am."  
  
    "I'll be shoving my  _paw_ into  _your_ face if you don't simmer down," Judy retorted. "Have a safe trip home, Sam."  
  
    "Are you two  _sure_ you're happily married?" Samantha scoffed in jest.  
  
    The fox and bunny chuckled at each other and shared a small kiss.  
  
    "One hundred percent," the two said simultaneously.


	15. Chapter 15

    A few more weeks went by, and it became late August. Samantha had invited Terra over to the Hopps compound again, but she didn't know if she had yet arrived as there was no commotion from the fluffle. Samantha explored the compound and saw that Terra was already there, approaching Violet near one of the bedroom wings. Samantha hung back for a few moments to observe them.  
  
    "Hey, Violet?" Terra called out, waving casually at her. Violet looked up from her tablet, adjusting her glasses.  
  
    "Ah, Terra," Violet responded.  
  
    "Hi," Terra smiled. "I just wanted to say thank you for getting Sam and I kind of hooked up together like you did."  
  
    Violet grinned. "Of course." She tilted her head upwards in a somewhat haughty way. "I am the Hopps Family Organizer. My sister's happiness falls under the things that I have planned for."  
  
    "Wow, do you have any shame at all?" Samantha folded her arms, walking up to the two. Terra laughed at Samantha's sudden presence.  
  
    "None," Violet declared. "You'll just have to-" she took off her glasses and replaced them with prescription sunglasses, "deal with it."  
  
    "What are you wearing sunglasses inside for?" Samantha narrowed an eye.   
  
    "Gonna take some of the kits into town to go shopping," Violet said. "You won't have too many little spies poking around today, but you should keep alert all the same." She waved and was off.  
  
    "She sure is a character," Terra smiled.  
  
    "Yup, that's sisters for you," Samantha sucked at her teeth. "So, how do you feel about grapes?"  
  
    "Oh, I like them," Terra nodded. "Pretty much all fruits. My dad says I'm a very sweet person. Of course, sometimes he also says I'm a very  _fruity_ person..."  
  
    "Come on, silly," Samantha shook her head, leading her outside. The temperature was quite warm as Samantha led Terra out to the vineyard. Rows and rows of grapevines were there, and the grapes looked vividly colorful and ready for picking. The two walked mostly in silence for the first stretch of their walk, merely enjoying each others company.  
  
    Terra looked behind her. "Don't think anyone followed us out for once. I'm almost kind of disappointed. Though it was a little stressful, it was nice having those li'l bunnies be so excited about me." She sighed wistfully. Samantha looked over at her, searching her face for a hidden meaning. She tried to guess at it.  
  
    "I won't get bored of you, Terra," Samantha said with a soft smile, taking her down an aisle. Terra slowly returned a demure grin. The bunny looked at a particular grapevine and pointed. "Ah, these look good." She went to get them off the vine, sawing at the vine with her small bunny claw. "This would be a lot easier if I had my karambit."  
  
    "Your karambit?" Terra blinked. "Isn't that one of those scary curved knives?" Samantha nodded as she continued to work at the vine with her claw. "Uh, thank you for not having your karambit." Terra cringed.  
  
    "Don't you read about stuff scarier than that in your comic books?" Samantha looked back at her.  
  
    "Yeah but, real life is a lot different from comic books," Terra said pensively, her paw on her wrist.   
  
    "Oh, you've noticed," Samantha joked. Getting the vine weak enough, the bunny yanked a cluster of grapes free of the vine. "Finally!" She tried one. "Mm, yeah, these'll do. Here." She handed the grapes over to Terra.  
  
    "Thank you," Terra nodded, trying some. "Mm, tart and sweet, I like them." She popped a few more into her mouth. "One of the perks of living on a farm!"  
  
    "Not that I intend to my whole life, but yeah," Samantha nodded. She sighed, looking Terra over as the fox serenely worked away at the grapes.  
  
    "These are good," Terra reiterated.  
  
    "Terra... I'd... I'd really like to show you my scars," Samantha said seriously. Terra froze, an uneasy look creeping across her face. "I know it might be hard for you to see, but I want to show you I'm not scared of you or ashamed of what I look like."  
  
    "...Y-you're right, yeah," Terra frowned. "It's kind of selfish of me to keep shying away from them, isn't it? I'm just a little... frightened, I guess."  
  
    Samantha tried a small smile. "Well I'd like to think I'm going to have to get you used to them _sometime_ , you cute little fox."  
  
    Terra removed her bashful grin by tossing one more grape into her mouth and nodded, setting the remains of the grapes down on the ground. "Okay." She balled her fists and took in a deep breath to prepare herself. Her determined look caused Samantha to bite at her lip; she thought it was adorable. Samantha turned around and crossed her arms in front of herself.   
  
    "You ready?" Samantha said.  
  
    "As I'll ever be..." Terra nodded, her teeth slightly showing.  
  
    Samantha rolled up her shirt, not fully taking it off in case Terra panicked. Instead of hearing a yelp or a gasp, she was met with only silence. The bunny's ears perked as she waited for a reaction. Terra looked over the striations and indentations with a blank face.  
  
    "You okay?" Samantha asked as she continued to hold up her shirt.  
  
    "They're... actually not that bad," Terra noted, as if amazed. "I kind of... thought that they might be ugly..."  
  
    "You don't mind them, huh?" Samantha said. "Marks from another vixen?"  
  
    "They're- they're not _hers_ ," Terra shook her head, the front of her muzzle pursing. "They're _yours_. Your marks. It's the defense of your body. Nothing of them is hers."  
  
    "Hmm..." Samantha sighed a little at the consideration; she'd never really thought of it that way.  
  
    "Can I touch them?" Terra asked abruptly.  
  
    "Um, okay," Samantha didn't quite expect that, either. She waited, her nose twitching a little as Terra prepared to gently touch them. The fox's fingers actually felt very pleasant to Samantha on her scars, and she very lightly brushed over the damaged areas. "Th-that's pretty nice..."  
  
    Terra almost looked grim as she continued, nodding once she finished exploring all of the marks. "Yeah... they're not bad. They are a sign of your strength, and I... I actually kind of like them? Is that weird?"  
  
    Samantha lowered her shirt and turned around. "Well, even if so, I'm glad..." She admired Terra's softened face. It was almost time to say it, Samantha thought. She tried to summon up the courage, but suddenly Terra perked up and distracted Samantha.  
  
    "Oh!" Terra said. "Right... um, I guess now that I've seen _those_ , this would be a gh-good time to give you something."  
  
    "Give me something?" Samantha repeated.  
  
    "Yeah, uh..." Terra's eyes searched the ground. "I hope you'll like it. This is... gonna be  _pretty_ dorky, I think..." She bit her lip.   
  
    "All right?" Samantha's heart and stomach fluttered; she didn't see that Terra had brought anything with her.   
  
    "So... a fox hurt you," Terra started nervously, shifting her weight on her hips. "She made those marks on your back and tried to break who you were. But she didn't really succeed, did she? Because you're here right now, talking to me." Samantha nodded after a small delay, feeling a hitch in her breath. "The thing about your scars is... you can't see them without a mirror, right?" Samantha nodded again, her eyes narrowing a bit. She had no idea where Terra was going with this, and it filled her with anticipation and worry equally.  
  
    "So yeah... the marks on your back..." Terra seemed to be fumbling for her words. "They... can only be seen by whoever you show them to, or your reflection. I want to give you something that anyone can see, even you. Something that's always visible to everyone, that'll show them someone cares about you." Terra placed her hands on her chest. Samantha was speechless, nodding absently.   
  
    Terra reached into her back pocket. "So... um, here. Hehe, sorry, I've practiced this speech like twenty times but I've never quite... hehe- got it right..." She blinked away the sparkles in her eyes. She produced a willow-bead bracelet. It was tied together with numerous dark brown threads, and the beads were painted with earthy blue, black, and the natural willow color. Samantha continued to be dumbfounded.  
  
    "You...  _made_ this?" Samantha finally said. She reached her hand out for it and paused halfway, as if she dared not take it.  
  
    "Yup... took me the better part of a month," Terra smiled, her tail wagging gently. "Dh-do you like it?"  
  
    "It's beautiful," Samantha smiled, her lips wobbling briefly.  
  
    "I mean, you don't  _have_ to wear it if you don't want," Terra said quickly, her eyebrows turning up.   
  
    "Put it on me, please," Samantha said warmly, offering her right wrist, and Terra carefully put the bracelet on. Samantha admired it and sniffed at it. "Mm..."  
  
    "I just thought it'd be nice if you had some sort of... like a symbol," Terra said. "A symbol that a fox... well... that a fox..."  
  
    "I love you," Samantha said warmly.  
    "She loves you," Terra said simultaneously.  
  
    Terra gasped, and Samantha smiled. Tears started to line Samantha's eyes, but she wiped them away. She hugged the little fox, though only very slightly taller than her, she felt so little and slight in her arms. Terra didn't hug back immediately, but when she did, she latched on desperately.  
  
    "You... you  _do_ love me...?" Terra retreated halfway from the hug, staying in her arms but looking at Samantha. She choked out an emotion-soaked giggle. "Why?"  
  
    " _Why_?" Samantha half-smiled. "You're a lovely fox. You're so sweet and kind, and this bracelet is proof of that." She wiggled her wrist where her new bracelet called home. "I want to both partake of and preserve your kindness."  
  
    "Okay..." Terra blurted out a laugh, her eyes teary. Samantha softly kissed away her tears, causing Terra to shut her eyes and absorb the warm kisses. "Mm..."  
  
    "Your turn," Samantha said gently.  
  
    "Huh?" Terra was confused, still lost in her emotions.  
  
    "Why do you love me?" Samantha wondered. Terra slowly broke from the hug, turning away.  
  
    "It's... it's actually kind of selfish, really..." Terra said, looking down.  
  
    "I don't really believe that," Samantha folded her arms, smirking.  
  
    "I... all my life I've had basically a charmed existence," Terra shook her head. "Nothing bad has ever happened to me... but something will eventually. It has to."  
  
    "Why do you think so?" Samantha's eyes narrowed, approaching Terra.  
  
    The kit fox looked back, then back down at the ground. "I dunno. Karma has to get her bite in eventually, doesn't she?" She sighed. "When, or... _if_ , I guess, something bad does happen... I don't know. The thought terrifies me. I don't think I'd be able to face it on my own. But..." she looked back at Samantha. "If I had someone like you, someone strong of both body and will beside me... I think I'd be okay."  
  
    "You're scared of the unknown?" Samantha tilted her head.  
  
    Terra nodded. "Petrified."  
  
    "Well I'll be proud to help you face it then, little fox," Samantha offered her paw, and Terra took it. Samantha drew her in for a hug and a soft kiss. "I was kinda thinking about giving you a pet name."  
  
    "Oh yeah?" Terra blinked, staring into Samantha's eyes.  
  
    "How does... 'puppyfox' grab you?" Samantha asked.  
  
    Terra's mouth exploded into a huge smile as she fought off a laugh. She then quickly tried to wrestle her face into a more neutral look. "Um, I'll think about it."  
  
    "Okay," Samantha wasn't fooled, but she let her go with her eyes in a coy half-lidded expression anyway.  
  
    "Can I call you 'Sammy' yet?" Terra wondered hopefully.  
  
    Samantha let out a long sigh that turned into a groan as she stared at the sky. " _Yes_ , you can call me Sammy..."  
  
    " _Yes_!" Terra bounced up and pumped both fists.   
  
    "You really are a dork," Samantha put her arm around Terra's shoulders.  
  
    "I guess I am," Terra nodded. "...Do you like that?"  
  
    Samantha hummed twice. "I love it."  
  


* * *

  
    Samantha looked over with bemusement at the nude kit fox beside her. Said fox was panting up a storm, desperate to catch her breath.  
  
    "Are you okay?" Samantha asked, amused. The cream-and-white bunny wasn't wearing anything either, unless her willow-bead bracelet counted.   
  
    "I'm... fine," Terra panted. "Just need... need a... second..."  
  
    "I can get you some water or something," Samantha shrugged her shoulders.  
  
    "I'm fine..." Terra insisted, continuing to pant. Samantha failed to suppress a laugh as she took in her lover's rapid exchanges of air.   
  
    "Okay then," Samantha said, shuffling closer to her. "I hope you liked that."  
  
    "Oh yeah..." Terra mustered the strength to nod weakly, her panting slowly abating. "It felt so- _hnh_!" Samantha placed her paw on Terra's midsection and rubbed at little. This caused the kit fox to arch upwards into the caressing paw and reply with a helpless moan.  
  
    "Are you serious?" Samantha laughed. "Is Terra's tiny taut tummy tender?"   
  
    "Leave me alone!" Terra flailed her paws weakly to get Samantha off of her. Samantha acquiesced and let Terra calm down. "I've never really been... treated intimately like this... so I guess I'm still a little sensitive in some silly places..."  
  
    "Seems good to me..." Samantha grinned, balancing her own chin on a paw as she admired the kit fox. "I hope you don't move out of that too quickly." Terra looked at her, frustration starting to cloud the fox face. Samantha thought that this expression was adorable, and she chuckled.  
  
    "You're not even winded," Terra accused.  
  
    "Nope," Samantha's smile was enormous. "One, I'm a bunny, and two, I'm a  _fit_ bunny. I've got plenty of endurance."  
  
    "Right, I should have guessed..." Terra gulped down a deep breath.  
  
    "I can be more gentle next time, if you want," Samantha stroked at Terra's cheek.  
  
    Terra shook her head. "Mm mm... I liked how you were just then. Nice and strong and... like... bunny-like."  
  
    Samantha kissed the back of Terra's paw. "Well, maybe we can mix it up a little then. I do like seeing you all tired out; it's extra adorable."  
  
    Terra's tail wagged on the sheets behind her as she enjoyed being fussed over, but then she frowned. "Okay, I  _am_ feeling thirsty."  
  
    "Well, I suppose since I'm the less exhausted of the two of us, I'll go get you a glass of water," Samantha chirped playfully. Terra grumbled in response until she saw Samantha rise out of bed. Terra jammed some of the sheets in her mouth and bit down as she followed the line of Samantha's back, tracing the sensuous curve as it lead down to her rear, topped with that little tuft of a bunny tail.  
  
    Samantha looked behind her. "Or are you just going to drink in the sight of my butt?"  
  
    "Bowf," Terra said around the sheets. Samantha tossed her ears back and gave a playfully scornful shake of her head as she walked into Terra's kitchen, pouring her lover a glass of water. Samantha turned her head and flinched a bit, grumbling to herself at the sight of the giant Serendipity plush that Terra still refused to part with.  
  
    Samantha gave the plush a saucy pose, holding the water glass in one hand and putting the other on her hip, pouting that hip outward. "Like what you see? Creep." Samantha bent over to pick up her discarded shirt and tossed it over the Serendipity plush's face.   
  
    "Hmph!" Samantha playfully spun on her heel and went back to their room to rejoin her fox love.


	16. Chapter 16

    Summer had come for Samantha's first year in her new school. The Tiny Tails Elementary school was actually closer to her current residence than Peaceful Sprouts had been, so that was a little bonus. Samantha smiled to herself as she reflected upon the past year. It felt good to be back to teaching, doing what she really enjoyed. She'd gotten the reputation of being the "tough teacher" from her third graders. Not because of any sort of unpleasantness or mean demeanor on Samantha's part, just because she was still visibly fit and intended to keep it that way.  
  
    It was late afternoon and Samantha, with her things in her arms, walked over to a familiar steel-blue car. The windows of the car were rolled down and in the driver's seat was a kit fox with her nose in a graphic novel. Samantha cleared her throat.  
  
    "Guh!" Terra flinched, dropping her graphic novel down into the space near the pedals. She looked out the window. "Sammy!" She brightly got half-outside the car with her paws on the window's space. Her tail wagged behind her.  
  
    "Hi, puppyfox," Samantha leaned over to kiss her, then moved around to get into the passenger's seat as Terra bounced back into the driver's seat in contentment. "Sorry to keep you waiting, sweetie. I just had some things to take care of before the school year got out."  
  
    "That's fine," Terra nodded. "I was finishing up reading a graphic novel called Empowered about mammals with superpowers and how they have to learn to deal with them. It's a pretty cool series, interesting stuff."  
  
    Samantha sucked at her teeth. "Ridiculous."  
  
    "Bleh, you sound like my _mom_ ," Terra made a face with her tongue out. She started up the car and rolled up the windows, tossing the graphic novel in the back seat. "So you get  _all_ of summer off? Must be nice."  
  
    "That's right, now I can come bother you at the bookstore," Samantha smirked devilishly.  
  
    "What?" Terra laughed. "I won't be able to get any work done if I have a pretty bunny like you to stare at!"   
  
    "As if that's any different from the norm," Samantha accused. "You're always reading those comic books at work."  
  
    "Graphic novels," Terra corrected, pulling out of the parking lot.   
  
    Samantha sighed as she set her things down on the seat behind her, folding her arms over her lap. "It's nice to get back to things; life the way I remember it. ...I suppose I should be happy I got back to it at all, but I can't believe it's been YEARS since... since that _vixen_..."  
  
    "Destroying something takes no time or effort at all," Terra said. "But building it back up, that's where the real merit and worth of a mammal is measured."  
  
    Samantha considered this. "Huh, that's pretty profound. Is that a famous quote?"  
  
    "Not really," Terra flashed Samantha a grin. She nodded to the back seat. "The heroine of that graphic novel says it."  
  
    Samantha let out a long groan, staring at the upholstery of the car. "Ugh! For crying out loud..." Terra giggled.  
  
    "So, where to?" Terra asked. "Are we going home?"  
  
    "Hmm, surprise me," Samantha said after thinking it over.  
  
    " _Surprise_ you?" Terra's face scrunched up. "What's that supposed to mean? Like, a food-type surprise, a fun-type surprise, or... just... like what?"  
  
    "Terra honey, do you know what a 'surprise' is?" Samantha asked condescendingly.  
  
    "Rgh!" Terra clenched her paws around the steering wheel, then her expression grew much softer. "I just don't want to take you anywhere you wouldn't like."  
  
    "I'm not worried about that," Samantha said calmly.  
  
    "Okay, then a 'surprise' it is," Terra nodded as she tried to think of a route.   
  


* * *

  
    "So, this is your idea of a surprise?" Samantha said casually, walking onto a small park equipped with a playground nearby the school.  
  
    "What do you want from me, bunny!?" Terra grumbled, looking over at Samantha. "I didn't have any time to prepare. I'm really not that creative."  
  
    "I'd say  _this_ says differently," Samantha proudly held up her wrist which was adorned with her willow-bead bracelet.  
  
    "Hey, I had time, work, and research put into that thing," Terra held up a pointer finger. "I wasn't put on the spot to make you something thoughtful!"  
  
    "Doesn't perform well under pressure, check," Samantha drew a check mark in the air.  
  
    "Ugh!" Terra tried to sneer, but it became a twisted smirk. She pushed Samantha away from her. "You know my weaknesses by now!"  
  
    "Uh huh, and one of them is _me_ -" Samantha said, then suddenly became distracted by noticing someone off in the distance. "No way..."  
  
    Samantha rushed over to the canid form sitting on a bench faced toward the playground.  
  
    "Liam Halhoun," Samantha said in awe.  
  
    The coyote turned his head. He almost appeared to be the same age he was the last time Samantha had seen him. He retained the slight tiredness in his face, but something looked a bit more resolute or complete about him. He quickly became quite surprised. "Samantha Hopps?"  
  
    "Still am," Samantha nodded. Liam stood up.  
  
    "I'll be..." the coyote regarded Samantha as if he was seeing a ghost, and he nearly towered over the two of them. Samantha heard childish giggling coming from the playground and saw two young coyote pups playing on the swing set.  
  
    "Oh, are those yours?" Samantha smiled, her mouth hanging open a little.  
  
    Liam nodded. "Jimmy's six and Wendy's seven."  
  
    "Ooh, are they zoned for around here?" Samantha smiled brightly. "I teach third grade."  
  
    "I guess you might see Wendy in a few months, then," Liam chuckled. He turned to his progeny. "Hey! Jim! Get your sister's ear out of your mouth!" The two pups were roughhousing on the ground. Terra and Samantha both hummed small laughs. Liam turned to Samantha and his expression fell. "Hey, Samantha, I wanted to tell you something, but never really found the right time."  
  
    "Oh yeah?" Samantha looked up at him, curious.  
  
    "I was looking into Meredith Pinemeadow, to see if she had any chance of parole," Liam said, and saw Samantha flinch at the name. He held up his paws defensively. "You don't have to worry about her anymore, Samantha. She's dead."  
  
    Samantha gaped. "She's _dead_?" Terra's eyes widened.  
  
    "Yes," Liam nodded. "Apparently room was getting tight in the penitentiary, and they had to add some bunnies to her cell block. Apparently one day she tried to get too close to a certain other bunny in the showers and... well, the official reports from all witnesses say she 'slipped, fell, and broke her neck', but I have my doubts. The bunny she was after was a pretty bad doe."  
  
    "Mm..." Samantha hummed. In her heart of hearts, she felt relief, though not as much as she expected.  
  
    "You know what they say, Samantha," Liam shook his head. "Karma's a female dog."  
  
    "And you can't teach an old dog new tricks," Terra added with a firm frown.  
  
    "Oh, uh, I've been rude," Liam smiled sheepishly and rubbed behind his head. He turned to Terra. "Who's this lovely little creature?"  
  
    "We've both been rude," Samantha winced, holding Terra's hand. "This is Terra Brownfurred, my mate."  
  
    " _Really_ ," Liam whistled. "Your mate... that's amazing! I'm happy for you."  
  
    "I'm not  _that_ amazing," Terra rolled her eyes.  
  
    "She is," Samantha whispered conspiratorially as she leaned her head in, nodding and winking.  
  
    "Heh, well, I'm glad," Liam grinned. "You deserve it."  
  
    "How's things with... what was her name? Ugh, can't remember..." Samantha tried to recall, a paw on her mouth.  
  
    "Mica, yeah, still with her," Liam put his hands in his pockets, nodding.  
  
    "Is it... working out?" Samantha narrowed one eye.  
  
    "It's been a good marriage, Samantha; I can't complain," Liam swallowed. "It's like... it's a deep friendship; a partnership. Our jobs kind of alternate schedules so we can take care of the pups. We're often there for the kids more than each other, but still she's... she's like my best friend."  
  
    "That sounds good?" Terra tilted her head. "Your mate should be your best friend, shouldn't they?"  
  
    "Yeah, I dunno," Liam smiled. "I wonder if the thing I had with Carla forever ago was just an infatuation or if it was real love. I guess you can't really tell when you're that young. Or maybe you can? I dunno..." Liam shrugged.  
  
    "There's all types of love, I think," Samantha smiled, squeezing Terra's paw. "Sounds like you've got a few different types going on here." She grinned wider as the two pups approached, rushing over to join them.  
  
    "Who're the ladies, daddy?" Jimmy asked cautiously, a step behind his sister.  
  
    "I'm Wendy and this is James," Wendy introduced precociously, closing her eyes and gesturing to herself and her brother.   
  
    "Wendy...?" Liam tilted his head toward her. "What did I say about talking to strangers?"  
  
    "Well, they can't be  _strangers_ if you're talking to them, daddy!" Wendy put her hands on her hips and tilted her head in the opposite direction, as if her father didn't know anything.  
  
    "Yeah, good luck with that one," Liam grinned widely at Samantha.  
  
    "Oh, it'll be fun if she's in my class," Samantha grinned.  
  
    "You're a teacher?" Wendy gaped up at her.  
  
    "Uh huh," Samantha smirked, bending over a little to look at her with her hands on her knees. "And if you're lucky, maybe you'll get to see more of me soon."  
  
    Wendy looked at Liam skeptically.  
  
    "She looks nice," Jimmy added helpfully, looking at the bunny.  
  
    "Okay you two scamps, let's go home and get dinner," Liam said. "Good to catch up with you finally, Samantha." He waved at her.  
  
    "Bye," Samantha waved, and Terra followed suit. The coyotes made their exit with Wendy laying out in detail what she wanted for dinner. Samantha let out a large sigh, observing the sun start to set on the horizon.  
  
    "You okay?" Terra turned her muzzle over to look at Samantha.  
  
    "I got my vengeance by proxy, just like Liam did..." Samantha said distantly.   
  
    "Would it have made you feel better if you could have hurt her yourself?" Terra winced.  
  
    "Maybe... maybe briefly," Samantha said. "I think I'd have liked to. I think that's what I was training for. But... the thought of that violence; I'm not sure. If I took her life... I'd have to live with that for the rest of  _my_ life, and no matter what sort of relief I got... I'd always have that mark of violence on me. I'd be... probably a lot different."  
  
    "Yeah..." Terra agreed. "For what it's worth, I'm kinda glad you didn't get to hurt her."  
  
    "Me too..." Samantha smiled happily at Terra. "Because if I _did_ , I definitely wouldn't have become the type of bunny that could love a fetching little vixen like you."  
  
    "That's good for me..." Terra smiled pleasantly, hugging her.  
  
    Samantha heard a large growl.  
  
    "Hungry?" Samantha chuckled, patting Terra's back.  
  
    "Yup," Terra said. She reached into her pocket and gave Samantha her car keys. "Here. Let's go out to eat. You drive."  
  
    "Anywhere in particular?" Samantha started to walk back towards the car with her fox. Terra put on the best simper she could muster.  
  
    "Surprise me."   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will most likely be the end of Vixen's Mark. Once again I'd like to thank SophieWitch for allowing me extensive use of Samantha Hopps and the freedom to change her details around for my own storytelling. Also of course would like to thank my proofreader Roahm Mythril, who isn't as much of a fan of heavy stuff like this but still helped me proofread. as he always does. Also of course thanks to all you regular commenters for both getting me to attempt something like this and for following up with your thoughts in your comments.
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed.


End file.
